To Run with Golden Wolves
by The Good Life Creator 678
Summary: We tell our children stories of monsters of old. They are creatures of indifference, grotesque abominations that sought to serve their king that grated them life. His return is marked by their creation. We tell our children of heroes that slay them, teaching that dragons can be killed. The hero's return is marked by the sword and the golden wolves.
1. Prologue

**To Run with the Golden Wolves**

By The Good Life Creator 678

**Disclaimer**-I do not in any way shape or form own or claim ownership to RWBY or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Rooster Teeth and Nintendo respectfully

**Prologue**

_There once was a hero born into a fallen kingdom of old purged into a calamity, bringing forth monstrosities from feverish nightmares. He ran through the forests of the land forgotten to time, the winds of the wilds howling is name in gentle breathes. His armor of strange stone glowed as he stalked for the end of the calamity. By his side he kept his constant companion, a gilded blade that marked the evil's bane. For the sake of the long gone kingdom ruled by the long gone princess entrusted by the powers above, he drove away the darkness, the land basking in the golden light of his spirit._

_The hero's return has been foretold to be marked by the sword of evil's bane calling to the golden wolves of the wild, searching the hero with the indomitable spirit to draw it from its final resting place._

_The boy stammered through the forest, listening to the world around him thundering in the dead of night, his boy held tightly in his shaky hands. 'Let the wilds teach you.' A small yelp of fear sounded from his throat as the beast with black fur landed before him, bearing long fangs at the young boy. Blood stained saliva dripped and drooled to the dirt in long strands. Terror racked through the young boy's heart, his eyes widening. 'It's okay to feel fear; it lets you know what's at stake. Don't let it consume you.'_

_Ethereal wolves of golden light flooded from the boy, jaws crunching down upon the beast with the hide of shadow and bone. A howl escaped from it's maw as its claw moved forward in a futile manner, another wolf snapping its jaws onto the out stretched limb. The boy shook in place as his eyes welled with fear, gripping at his core with its icy touch. 'Courage is the ability to overcome fear, not the inability to feel it. Don't let fear consume you.'_

_Shaky young hands raised his bow, pulling the drawstring taught. 'Don't let it consume you.'_

_The beast howled in pain as the arrow flew into his head, dropping to the forest floor in a pool of black ink that reeked of malice. The boy let out a sob as golden wolves nuzzled his face, guiding him deeper into the forest. He was their word now, they would guide him through the world with its many beasts. He was the boy that ran with the golden wolves, destined for greatness._

_The young boy walked forward in awe, the golden wolves brushing against him. The world around him was teaming with life, the sounds of the forest growing louder ad infinitum in an orchestra of bird chirps and rustling leaves. 'We are the wolves that run with the wild.'_

_He could feel the world around him shift and mold as he crouched down low, his exploring the new sounds that enveloped him, his eyes searching the trees as new lights filtered through the branches. 'We hunt in through the forest and the fields. We howl with the that rushes over the blades of grass.'_

_An intense sensation of glorious heat enveloped his body, expanding from his core and reaching out into the ether of the lands. The wolves looked at their charge with knowing eyes, ready to teach their ways to the new pup. 'You are the boy that runs with the golden wolves.'_

_The forest around the pack was alive with the music of nature. The children of the tree laughed about, the seeds rattling against their wooden walls, echoing through the wind. 'The world around you is your teacher.'_

_The boy followed his teachers, his eyes shifting from face to face, each one carved into leaves and dolls of the forest. 'The wind whispers its lessons into our ears.'_

_The wolves guided the boy to the clearing as yellow rays of brilliant sunlight dripped from the foliage above. 'Take heed, for they rarely repeat themselves.'_

_The boy walked into the clearing, the wolves of golden light standing watch, sitting on their haunches. In the center, just below the talking tree and his laughing children stood a magnificent sword. 'The wolf that waits for its prey will feast on nothing but air.'_

_Anxiety, fear, joy, euphoria, over came the boy in a kaleidoscope of emotions. His steps were wobbly, shaky with each motion towards the pedestal. Young hands gripped the hilt of the gilded blade as the tree watched with anticipation. 'If we wait for our journey to come, we will never take the first steps.' The young boy made the most important decision of his life._

_He pulled the blade._


	2. The Song Remains the Same

**To Run with the Golden Wolves**

By The Good Life Creator

**Chapter One- The Song Remains the Same**

The two men stood in the large office, their hands classed around crystal, brown liquor staining their lips as they drank in solace, staring each other in silence.

"Do you honestly think that the boy's ready for this?" inquired one of the men, breaking the air as he took a swig of the whiskey. He was tall, his face was akin to a wolf, small scars feathered his face, peaking out from behind his blond beard. "I know full well how important that my boy is to the world, but, as gifted as he is with that sword, he has got a lot to learn about who he is."

"I don't believe that we have much of a choice in the matter at the moment, Francois." Ozpin spoke out, moving towards his desk, his hands shuffling through the papers that sat atop it, trying to find the right one. "From the stories that you have told me, you only nudged him; if that is the right phrasing of how you teach, allowing nature to take it's course on guiding his blade. As talented as the young man is, he never had formal training. I'm certain that a change of scenery and a steady hand would only do the boy good."

Francois sighed as he shifted about in an antsy fashion. "Still, he's impulsive, a fool." His hands moved about in a lazy fashion as he continued on. "He gallivants into danger with little regard to his safety."

"A trait that he has no doubt inherited from you." Ozpin took another sip from his cup. "As well as a couple of other traits, if you are telling the truth. Still, all heroes begin their journey as fools. Perhaps it is on us for not better preparing our champions for the feats they are to overcome and your son is no exception."

"But how do we get him in to your halls?" the man inquired, shaking the ice in his glass. "He never did go to any combat school. "

The chuckle that emanated from the headmaster was not entirely encouraging. "The same way that I managed to allow another student to grace our halls. I am the headmaster after all, Francois."

The wolf-like man grimaced at the thoughts that rushed his mind. None of them were particularly happy. "I just thought I would have more time with my boy before he went to climb mountains unimaginable. I really hope that he just comes back the same young man we sent to the lions den."

A melancholy tone resonated through the air as the two men thought of days long past. "I wish the same for all of my students, Mister Arc. Now go, be with your son. Enjoy the time that is left with him."

_**01234567890**_

A groan of complete and utter displeasure erupted from Jaune's lips as he fought the urge to vomit, placing his head between his knees in an effort to keep the contents of his stomach inside, raking his fingers through blond locks. Arcs didn't vomit like this, not in public places. He choked a bit, forcing bile down. He had found his match; motion sickness. "I've flown before…" In a glider that he designed and created, not a giant metal bird of someone else's design with faults that he was not paid enough to be aware of. "What about the trip I took with dad when I was ten?" Oh, that's right, the last time he had been on an airship was his tenth birthday. His gift was being thrown into a forest screaming while his dad cackled like a mad man. All for the sake of Hylian tradition and learning by doing. It felt more like a trial by fire after hearing his father's departing words. _'We are wolves that learn by runnin' with the wild.'_

Another moan of discomfort filled the air around him as the contents of his stomach tried to creep back up his esophagus for round two. He had to find a way to get his mind off of this sickness; he had no desire to discover if the breakfast he devoured tasted just as good coming up as it did going down. A laugh squeezed out of his lungs in dry rasps. This was definitely not a good look for him.

"You don't look so good." The feminine voice came from the seat beside him, a tinge of concern overlaying the tone. When did someone sit down next to him? How did he miss it? Jaune took hi head out from his knees, trying to keep bile down. She was a short woman, her frame garbed in a mismatch of designs from her strange armored vest to her bright pink skirt. Her pale green eyes looked at him with some concern, her orange air obeying the laws of gravity as she cocked her head to the side infront of him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," the boy spoke out, leaning back in his seat as he tilted his head against the rest. Yeah, fine, that was the word he was looking for. The only thing that was hurting was his pride. "Just the thought of my tenth birthday makes me sick from time to time."

She looked at him pensively for a few moments. Did she not believe his little white lie? He really did not like the thought of having to explain to the girl his 'fatal' flaw at the moment. A smile broke out on her face, her eyes closing slightly in the brightness of her features, dashing all his previous thoughts to the ether. "Oh, that's all? I thought you were going to barf and be labeled 'Vomit Boy' and no one wants that, right Ren?"

Wait, how did Jaune miss the tall young boy in the green long sleeved shirt and the black hair sitting beside the excitable girl? Ren, as the girl had called him, seemed to be her foil, an air of calm wrapping around him and cool magenta eyes that showed slight interest. He was simplistic while she was chaotic. He chuckled into his hand, a slight smile breaking his cool features. "I don't think that would stick."

"Of course it would!" Her arms flailed in an exasperated fashion as she faced Ren. "He could do something totally awesome and all he would be asked is 'aren't you the kid who threw up on the airship that one time.' Boom. Street cred, gone."

All Jaune could do was simply stare at her incredulously. What did he get himself into? "How do you know that I'm going to something totally awesome?"

"You just have that look on your face." Her voice was deadpanned as if it was as obvious as the air they breathed in. "You know, behind the whole 'I'm gonna puke on everyone's shoes' look." He wasn't going to puke one anyone's shoes, let alone everyone's, at least he hoped that wasn't going to happen. "But enough about that! What's your name? Do you like pancakes? What's with your pointed ears? Are you a Faunus? What's your Semblance? Is that sword your only Weapon? Does it have a name?"

Ren sighed as he looked at the new found blonde friend, a look of utter confusion glinting in the boys eyes at the orange haired girl's motor mouth. Ren expected this, he really did but his electric companion always did surprise with the sheer amount of questions she asked. Did she even breathe? Did the blond young man fallow along?

"I'm Jaune Arc, I guess I like pancakes though I prefer steak, I'm a Hylian, not a Faunus, my semblance is creating golden wolves, my sword isn't my only weapon, it's called the Master Sword." Ren was impressed, Jaune actually did follow along.

"Why did you name it the Master Sword?" It did sound a bit pretentious, Jaune could give her that. "It's lame, it's got no pizzazz. Not like Magnhild! Grenades would make it so cool!" Her pale green eyes sparked wildly as she hoisted a large silver grenade launcher in her hands, the barrel pointing around carelessly. Poor Jaune looked frightened as the barrel swept right over him, his hands raised in a passive manner as he attempted to calm her down.

"Nora, you might want to put that away before you make a scene," Ren spoke out as he attempted to placate the now labeled Nora.

Jaune sighed as he looked over the two converse. Nora and Ren, huh? They were an interesting pair at the very least, easy to talk to and seemed to be fun to hang around with. They even made him forget about his motion sickness, even if for a moment. A groan passed through him as he choked air to force the bile back down as he remembered about his problem. Why did he have to remember it? He was not about to be caught throwing up here. Not when they were so close to landing.

An Arc does not throw up.

A sharp intake of air, another bout of bile stomached down. An Arc doesn't throw up, definitely not in public.

_**01234567890**_

To say that Ruby Rose was awe struck at the sight before her would be an understatement. She had made it, her goals were being realized to her earlier than she could have ever dreamed. Her giddy legs carried her from the gangway of the Bullhead toward the courtyards of Beacon Academy, the spires of its halls stretching towards the heavens. The people around her walked, talking amongst each other about what was about to happen to them, all the adventures they were going to have and how they were heroes in the making. Her silver eyes glistened as she spotted all of them, their varying shapes and sizes, all in their weapon-y glory! Not a single one could even attempt to hold a candle to her Crescent Rose, that was impossible, but still, they were extensions of the soul who wielded them. It told her all she needed to know about a person, whether or not they were simple, out going, complex, or someone that she wanted to avoid. It was like making new friends, just better!

It was just a shame that her sister, Yang, did not share the same sentiment about weapons that Ruby did. "Why don't you make new friends?" the blonde woman had questioned, looking about the crowd moving towards the main hall. "Get out of your shell, meeting some new people might do you some good."

"Why would I need friends when I have you?" Ruby questioned back, her head cocked to the side in confusion.

Any hope that Yang was going to stay and help her navigate life at Beacon was washed away like dirt under a tap as a blonde blur sped past her with a group of faces that she had never seen. It was a fuzzy turn of events as one of the groups shoulders connected with the petite teen, spinning her around till she collided with the ground, toppling over white cases in her fall. Who in the right mind would even put those there?

"Watch where you're going!" a voice called out to her through the spinning world. Was that directed at her?

The next few moments of Ruby's life sped by her at surprising speeds as she argued with a white haired girl in a matching white dress till someone caused a Dust filled explosion right under them. It definitely was not Ruby's fault, she would testify to that fact. Mostly. All eyes were on them, the people shaking their heads as they walked away, not wanting to get involved. Even the girl in white walked away from her. All Ruby could do was sigh in annoyance, wondering why people couldn't be more like weapons. At least then they wouldn't be mean like little miss heiress.

"You okay?" a voice called out, her thoughts shattering at the memory that there was a world around her.

Silver eyes opened to meet blue as she grasped his outstretched had. The man was tall, though relative term for her five foot two frame, and lean, a simple black hoody with short sleeves two golden arcs on the chest clung loosely to his frame. His hair was a unkempt mop of blond locks, pointed ears poking out through the mess. She was about question the boy about his elven ears or why the only thing he carried was a sword sheathed at his hip when something around his neck gleamed in the sunlight, catching her eyes.

"Is that a bunny necklace?"

_**01234567890**_

Jaune had made it off the metal contraption of vomit inducing death without losing his breakfast, a feat that he could not have been more proud of. Oh, how he had missed the feeling of solid earth beneath his feet. It's pull keeping him rooted in reality. He would not be taking for granted any longer, or at least for the foreseeable future.

However, he did hear someone else emptying the contents of their stomach on his way out, causing Nora to giggled as they walked by. "That could of been you if Renny and me didn't come by and keep you company."

"Oh thank you, saviors of motion sickness. How could I ever repay you?" Sarcasm dripped from his tongue as he made an animated show of himself with a mocking bow. He could hear the hyperactive girl laugh heartily as she clung to Ren.

"Get me pancakes when you get to the main hall!"

"How am I supposed to find.." And just like that, they were gone before he could finish his question, leaving nothing but empty space where the had been not only a few seconds ago. Their impromptu disappearing act was nothing short of amazing. Still, at the very least it was nice to meet and talk to other people if only it were for a few moments. Maybe he would see them again in the near future? That was assuming that Nora didn't cause a large splash where ever she went.

The ground trembled slightly beneath his feet as an explosive roar broke through the air around him, the smell of combusted powders linger in the ether.

"Please don't be Nora…"

He moved forward at a brisk pace, following the scent of singed air. He watched as a slender girl with pale hair dressed in varying shades of white stick her nose to the air in annoyance and walk away with huff, large crates of white being puled behind her as she strode towards the building. He could of sworn that there was the faint smell of cat hanging about but he could not even hope to find the source of the odor for the life of him. On the ground from where the girl in white was leaving was another form, dressed in blacks and reds, her large red clocked spilled about the cracked stones.

"Are you okay?" he inquired, reaching out his had towards the petite girl. Her eyes stared back into his, silver glistening in the light of the day as her tiny hands gripped his. _'She has pretty eyes,'_ was the only cognitive thought that was processed through his mind.

"Is that a bunny necklace?" Her question broke him free of his thoughts, the moment that had entranced him shattered to pieces like a stone crashing through panes of glass. Well, there goes the plan of being a knight in shining armor.

Blood rushed to the capillaries of his cheeks, adding a bright red hue to them as warmth spread across his face. "Yeah, so?"

The roar of laughter erupting from the girl did not instill him with the level of confidence that he wanted, his blush deepening as the girl swung her arms about in an animated fashion. "That's so cute!"

"It's Pumpkin Pete," he retorted. It wasn't a good defense but it was all he had. He liked their cereal, so what if he showed his appreciation? He didn't care who noticed.

"The cereal mascot? What did you do? Send in box tops?"

His eyes shifted about. Those were not questions, those were statements. He had done just that not too long ago but there was no way he would ever tell her that.

She burst into another fit of laughter at his silence, knowing it was admittance of guilt to her playful jabs. Her giggles died down as she flicked a joyous tear from her eye as she directed her gaze back at the sword sheathed on his hip. It looked familiar, she had seen it somewhere before, something important that couldn't be found. Was it a replica? "What's your sword's name? Did you make it?" Slender hands wrapped around the grip of her red rifle, flicking her thumb over a switch. Metal brushed against metal as the thing unfolded into its natural state, a large red and black scythe, the edge shining in the light of day.

"This is Crescent Rose. I made her myself." Her voice held pride and joy, caressing the thing against her cheek as if it were a loving child.

Jaune's eyebrow peaked, staring at the little reaper with dark turning to red hair and a red hood holding her scythe close. Somehow, this was fitting despite the large size in comparison to her petite frame. A smile found its way to his lips as he withdrew his broadsword, it's blade gleaming brightly. "I found it a little while ago, her name is the Master Sword."

Ruby inspected the blade in one quick motion. It looked a bit ornate, the broadsword possessing no fuller and three triangles etched into the center of the ricasso just above the blue bird-like hilt. The puzzle pieces were all there but she still couldn't remember the stories that were depicted in her magazine. Maybe she still had the article in her bag? Whatever, it still wasn't nearly as impressive as her Crescent Rose. She made the scythe gun combo herself, making sure to add all the cool features and this 'Master Sword' was nothing but a boring hunk of silvery white metal.

Jaune smiled simply as he sheathed his Master Sword before extending his hand for a formal meeting. "I'm Jaune Arc. Short and sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it… or at least that's what my mom used to tell me." A look of absolute horror filled his eyes as his expression became that of shock. "Wait! No! That came out all wrong! Do I get a redo?"

Ruby giggled a bit at his antics. At least she wasn't alone anymore, even if this young man had boring tastes in weapons and was a bit of a dork. "I'm Ruby Rose," she replied, shaking the out stretched hand. "And no, you don't get a redo."

**A/N-So, yeah, I am redoing Heroes of Remnant under a new name, stringing chapters together and going over a lot of mistakes that riddle it. I took a look at what I have written and while I like the direction and the plot I am aiming for I realized I can do better. Most things probably won't change but I am still going to be working on a lot of it. After Chapter Five I am going to be taking more time than a week to write a chapter to make it a little longer and to try and keep the mistakes to a minimum. After a few days Heroes of Remnant will be deleted with this story taking its place.**

**I do appritiate feedback and would like to hear all your thoughts, critiques, and ideas of what you would like to see.**

**Just a couple of things before I go, there is a poll in my profile for another idea I have running in my head, please take a look. That and what is the most difficult boss that you should have had no problems beating. Doesn't have to be from Legend of Zelda. For me it is Micolash, Host of the Nightmare.**


	3. Requiem for a Dream

**To Run with the Golden Wolves**

By The Good Life Creator

**Chapter Two-Requiem for a Dream**

Jaune stared at the man with incredulous eyes that stood before the remaining group. He was a lean man, a mop of messy gray hair sitting atop his head, the air that wrapped around him spoke of a lifetime dealing with hardships unimaginable. His black suit and green scarf looked clean and pressed while still desperately holding onto a bit of mirth from a you long forego.

The blond could honestly say that he had no clue on what he was expecting from initiation day but as he stood on the metal platform, he could not escape the feeling his gut screamed out at him. This was pure, unadulterated insanity.

Sure, Jaune was fairly certain that he had been through worse things in his short life, being raised by the crazy Hylian that was his father made sure of that. Somehow, out of all the things that he may or may not have expected from initiation day, this level of absurdity was nowhere near the top of the list.

Jaune tapped his foot against the platform beneath him as he continued his thoughts and came to one question. Were they all standing on a catapult?

"For years all of you have been training to be warrior. Today all of your training will be put to the test in the Emerald Forest." The studious woman beside the lean man spoke up as the lean man took a sip from his cup. The coffee that filled the porcelain cup smelled amazing. What kind of roast that was it? The aroma seemed expensive. "I'm sure that all of you have heard rumors about team assignments." Her voice was that of a academic, practiced in years of life. Her entire appearance gave the crowd before her some sense of rules to be followed without even uttering a word, as if she were going to ground them all for simply breathing. "Well, it seems that it's time to put those rumors to rest, your team will be assigned today."

Ruby let out a panicked gasp as she hear Glynda told the group the news. Was this happening already?! They were being paired off so soon?! Drat, the reaper thought that she had more time than just one measly day. Quick, think, who did she want to spend the next four years of her life with at Beacon? Anybody but Weiss, that was for sure. Maybe if she moved really fast, she could find her sister. That would make every little thing all better. All that needed to happen was to be placed in the same team as Yang. Then everything else would just simply fall into place.

Yup, that was the plan and Ruby Rose was sticking to it!

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years," The man beyond his years spoke out, gesturing to the expansive forest behind him at the bottom of the cliff. Jaune mentally groaned a bit at that aspect, his mind filled with the possible outcomes. Who was he going to find in the depth of the trees? Ruby was the first to run across his thoughts. Though she seemed to be a bit of a klutz at first, he had the best impression with her by far. Ren and Nora, perhaps? They seemed capable though he was fairly certain that Nora would kill them all by accident. Or maybe the black haired girl with the bow atop of her head that stood to his right. She seemed to be good in a pinch. As long as he didn't spot the white haired girl with the bad attitude all would be fine in the world.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die." The grey haired man paused for a moment, watching as the students before him shifted at the weight of his words.

Jaune sighed at the words being spoken. Great, idle threats to force the would be students to succeed in a world out to kill them. Or did the headmaster mean it as a promise? Maybe the blond teen was wrong about the gray haired man being insane after all. Maybe the man that stood before all the shaking students was really nothing more than a sadist who enjoyed watching his students suffer.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Out of habit, Jaune rose his hand to inquire. He really needed to know the one thing that was nagging at his mind. The man nodded in his direction, giving the young man the go ahead to speak. "Uh, yeah, are you really going to launch us into the air?"

"That would be the plan, Mister Arc. Any other questions?" Yup, that statement confirmed all of Juane's suspicions. This man truly was a sadist.

"You're an ass."

The man shook his head at the response, pointing to the metal platform beneath Jaune's feet. Hydraulics hissed as the catapult sprung to life, sending the boy screaming into the air with no warning.

"I suggest that the rest of you prepare yourselves," the man spoke, pushing up his glasses, taking another sip of coffee, watching the students lower their center in preparation for all that was about to happen. All he could do was wish them luck in an unforgiving world.

_**01234567890**_

Jaune's panicked screams echoed as he was sent flying through the air, though he was fairly certain that this was tumbling. Him and his big mouth. Maybe he should make more of an attempt to think before speaking. At least it wouldn't end with him being hurled through the air without any type of warning.

His eyes caught the quickly approaching trees, the familiar sense of adrenaline coursing through his veins. Shit, he could worry about al that later; right now he had other things to focus on, like landing in one piece.

Today was definitely not his day.

Fingers tapped against the glowing blue rune on his belt, several streams of light surrounded his form, etching shapes atop his skin and hoodie. A cuirass of dark and gold stone appeared, orange lines and constellations glowed as the circle above his heart pulsed with a gentle blue light. A smirk passed as he looked at the screen on his left gauntlet, runes of varying shapes and colors took shape upon its surface. Reaching his hands out to the skies above, familiar blue streams of light followed, creating wings for him to glide back down to terra firma. While it certainly not the most impressive work of landing, it was better than the alternative of plummeting down to his death, being found as nothing more than a puddle of blood, bone, and pain gravy.

Jaune glanced down to the forest below, smiling at the sight. He could hear the cries of the animals as the moved about the forest floor. The birds chirped and the squirrels scampered about, climbing the trees. The foxes and wolves ran about, running in between the trunks after one another. Despite the never end presence of death, nature always seemed to find a way to do so much more than survive. This was his home, his teacher, his soul. This was his life.

Taking another look at his gauntlet, a thought popped into his head. He looked over the runes as he formulated away to reach the ground faster. Patience was never really one of his strong suits anyways.

_**01234567890**_

Ruby rolled to the earth below, her scythe digging into the ground, providing her drag. As much as she felt sorry for her first friend at Beacon, being flung into the air like that with no warning what so ever, it did help to paint a very vivid picture of what not to do. Maybe if she hung around him more she could get a handle on that mouth of his. Sure, hers wasn't much better… Maybe they could both work on it together after he showed her just how he was able to create that strange armor and glider out of the ethereal blue light. Perhaps it was Hard-Light Dust and she could recreate it. Or improve it. Or upgrade Crescent Rose.

Growls of anger filtered through the tree, surrounding her in a cacophony of hate. The little reaper gripped Crescent Rose tightly, a smirk graced her lips. Those thoughts would have to wait for the time being, right now she was being tested. It was time for her to make Qrow and Ozpin proud.

_**01234567890**_

As soon as his feet touched the ground Jaune could hear the roars of pained anger. He cursed, moving towards the source as he listened to what was going on. The howls of the rest of their pack rang en masse, approaching their fallen kin. A catastrophe was about to fall onto whoever was slaying them.

More howls of agony rang out, blasts echoing out. The hunter in training was good, that much was obvious but the Grimm's howls were only attracting more of their kind.

The Arc quickened his pace as he heard more of them. The thought of any blood spilled about the floor due to being out numbered didn't really sit well with him. It kind of sounded lame.

A growl of slight pain escaped as he felt his body shift forms, the world becoming nothing more than a blur of greens and browns. His senses flared and exploded as he felt the energy around. He needed to get to who ever it was now or things were about to get worse.

_**01234567890**_

Ruby smiled slightly to herself as she swung her scythe about in fluid motions, slashing through another Beowolf with a squelch. A click of the round loading and bang sent it flying into the one behind it. Their numbers seemed to be dwindling down the more she moved, striking them down. This was good, going as well as her impromptu plan would allow. All that was left was to keep the momentum she had to finish them off then race off to find Yang. Easy.

A roar resonated from behind her, a larger Beowolf charging her back as a howl sung out from in front of her, a large grey and green wolf darting forth from the trees, leaping over her and crashing into the Grimm. The two beasts tumbled along the forest floor, cries of pain echoed against the trees. The Grimm rolled to its back, its arms collapsed limply as a figure rose to his feet, his hand resting on the gleaming silver sword with the familiar blue hilt buried deep into the chest of the rapidly decaying Beowolf. Silver eyes locked onto blue as a goofy smile broke on his face.

"I guess this makes us partners now, right?" Jaune spoke out as he scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner. His eyes narrowed as he glanced over the figures behind the little reaper. Crap, all the pained howling from the Grimm must have brought the rest of the pack from the woodwork. He gripped the bow on the back of his hip, its cold stone feeling refreshing on his fingertips. The arms unfolded, orange constellations radiating as a blue string of light formed. Knocking an arrow and taking aim he eyed the forest line. "Behind you!"

An arrow pierced the air, sliding through the space around Ruby's shocked expression, landing into the hide of another Grimm. Another arrow flew, landing into another Beowolf beside her. Jaune growled as he listened to the forest around him, his ears tuned in to the growls of beasts.

Watching Crescent Rose transform from a scythe to a rifle was definitely a spectacle to behold. Simply put, it was a mechanical masterpiece. Hearing the crack of air as it fired off a round right by his head was not something that he could safely say he enjoyed. _'Damn these senses.'_

Folding his bow and placing it on his back hip he retched the Master Sword from the dead beast at his feet before leaping into the fray, his blade gliding through the flesh of beasts. He couldn't just let Ruby finish off all the Beowolfs by herself.

_**01234567890**_

"I'm surprised your predictions came through." Glynda spoke out as she eyed the monitors, watching the students find partners in the forest. "I'm more shocked on how well Mister Arc and Miss Rose work together in combat." Her eyes locked onto the two initiates as they fought, watching as the moved together in unison. They had just met yet they fought together like they had known each other for all of their lives.

"That is a bonus of their intertwined fates as students," Ozpin spoke out, eyeing the monitor of Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc. The boy that ran with the golden wolves and the girl with the silver eyes, intertwined by fate. "Though I suspected it when they met in the courtyard. They do have this kind of synchronicity when they share the same space. Perhaps it is for the best that they are teammates."

Glynda simply shifted her gaze at the rest of the screens, eyeing all their progress as she wrote down notes about the other participants of the first exam. This year's batch of students seemed to be promising to say the least.

The grey haired man in the black suit lingered his at the blond haired hero and the little reaper with silver eyes. The way they moved about the forest in tandem was better than he had hoped, the bond between the youths quickly formed in a day. How far could the two of them go if coddled in the right direction?

_**01234567890**_

"Shit, they got us surrounded." Jaune muttered, earning a light jab from Ruby. "Oww, what was that for?"

"Language." It came out as if the only word spoken provided all the answers needed.

"Right now, it doesn't matter," His eyes moved about the forest. "We need to find a way to break free and have them follow us." Jaune raised his blade, parrying a swipe at his midsection. The Master Sword sank into the flesh of another as he pushed forward.

"I think I might have an idea," Ruby spoke, sporting a sheepish grin. "But I don't think you'd like it." Little did he know, at that moment, he really wasn't going to like it.

_**01234567890**_

Yang gave a cocky smirk as the Grimm surrounded her, the beasts growling in anger as they stalked their prey with glowing crimson eyes. "Who's up first?"

One of the Ursa surrounded her bounded forward, its bear-like body raising to its hind paws, a claw raised in preparation to strike the blonde girl down. Yang ducked under the mighty strike, her fist slammed into the beast's jaw, her Ember Celica shuddered and recoiled as a concussive blast sent the creature to the floor. A small smile found its way to her face as she shifted towards the beasts, shockwaves blasting from her fists, golden gauntlets recoiling and shuddering at each explosion, red shells falling to the ground in a clumsy manner. Lilac eyes watched as the Ursa that surrounded her recoiled in pain, crumpling to the floor in agony.

The wind snapped, Yang watching as a bronze spear soared through the air, piercing the inky flesh of the Ursa behind her. Her lips curled into a frown as she watched a warrior with long red hair dressed in tanned leather and bronze armor walk into the clearing. Green eyes met her own lilac ones. "I could of handled it…" the blonde teen mumbled.

Pyrrha gave Yang an apologetic smile, looking the blonde brawler up and down. While none of this was ideal, the warrior could make this work. From their initial interactions, however brief they were, it seemed that the close quarter combatant would treat her like a normal person. "Sorry."

_**01234567890**_

Blake bolted through the forest, moving from branch to branch with ease. She thought thoroughly about the purpose of this exam, the other students around her, and how much she wasn't exactly thrilled about having to spend the next four years of her life with another soul. The Schnee girl was at the forefront of her mind, and how it would be less than desirable to find her alone. After watching the white haired girl's interaction with the girl in the red hood and the odd looks she gave the Hylian boy, all Blake could think of were ways not to be on Weiss's team. That could only lead to disaster.

Blake just did not want to end up with that kind of animosity towards her kind. Phantoms of her past came rushing back to her, memories of her time in the White Fang played before her in vivid details. The group that she ran with, the group that started with the best of intentions turned twisted as a new leader came to fruition.

They donned masks of Grimm, becoming monsters that they were called, bringing brutality to the masses as they fought for 'equality', and Blake believed in every word of it. Becoming angrier and angrier as she was told of the horrors that continued to happen to the Faunus.

But the White Fang were no longer viewed as protectors of the Faunus, they were monsters.

Blake watched as the people she loved, the group that taught her the world, killed and slaughtered cities like lambs, laying rest to innocent people that simply just wanted to live. The faces of the children who were targeted made her sick to her stomach. So she turned away and tried desperately to find a way to save her damned soul.

She was not that monster anymore. All she wanted was some form of unity, the same kind of unity she saw with children, and she would continue to fight for it. Even if the world stood against her.

She shook her head, breaking loose of such morbid thoughts to focus on the task at hand. For the moment she needed to find a teammate and get out of the forest. The quicker she could get this exam over with, the faster she could get these next four years to pass by. Perhaps she could find the boy with the magenta streak in his dark hair. He seemed quiet enough, though Blake was sure that the orange haired girl probably already found him. Maybe the blond Hylian was a better fit anyways, someone who was different like her, though he did have a big mouth and tended to speak when it probably was not a good idea to.

Then amber eyes met ice blue and Blake cursed herself for not paying better attention to where she was going. This was not anywhere close to who she wanted to run into here. Not now, not ever. All she could think was how the next four years were going to be the longest ones of her life.

_**01234567890**_

Jaune howled into the air as ethereal golden wolves flooded from his form, bursting for from the spiral of rose petals, snapping their jaws into the flesh of the spiteful beasts that dwelled in the Emerald Forest. His paws dug into the soil as he ran between the trees, following the scent of honey and the seas. He had never ran this fast in his life; the feeling of the breeze rushing through his fur, the world around him becoming nothing but a blur of colors, all of it was intoxicating. It was, in the most simple ways, amazing to him, but he could not focus on the feeling. He could only focus on one thing right now, he really did not like the plan that Ruby had concocted in that sugar fueled mind of hers.

Ruby, however, seemed to be more than content on riding the back of his wolf form, one had clutching a tuft of his fur while the other guided Crescent Rose's blade into another Beowolf. Rose petals danced about as they sped faster through the forest, maneuvering in and out of the trees. A blast from her barrel sent another creature of Grimm sprawling to the floor. A bright smile plastered her face as the continued. This was a lot more fun than it had any right to be. Now if only Jaune showed the same level of enthusiasm that she held for it then it would be all the better for it.

And the way their Semblances worked was so much better than expected, too! Maybe she could talk him into this again another time, maybe she could show him how fun this really was.

_**01234567890**_

"I'm the queen of the castle! I'm the queen of the castle!" Nora exclaimed in a sing song tone of voice, excitably gripping a white rook close to her chest. Ren could only smile at her, walking up the broken stair of the old ruins, stone walls and archways littering the clearing. Nora's face turned to that of thought as she turned to the others a they picked up their relics from the alters. "Hey, where's Jaune-Jaune?"

A quizzical look overtook Ren's face as he searched the crowd taking the chess pieces. There was Blake, a twinge of melancholy twinkling in her eyes, Weiss, an expression of indifference on her face, Yang and Pyrrha amongst them, but there was no Jaune in sight. Ren tried to make sense of it all. The blond young man was launched from the cliff first, even if it was the headmaster making a point to the teen. The young swordsman could have reached the relics first. But that didn't make sense at all, the glider that came from the blue light slowed the descent too much for Juane to reach here first.

So that left one glaring question, where was he?

"Yeah, come to think of it, where's Ruby?" Yang questioned as she looked towards the tree line. As fast as the little red reaper was, she had yet to make it to the temple ruins.

As soon as the words left her lips, faint flashes blipped in and out of existence in the forest. Howls of tortured anger filtered through the trees, echoing of the bark. Ethereal golden wolves rushed out of a spiral of rose petals.

And just like that, gold wolves came crashing in from the trees, Grimm locked between their jaws as Ruby Rose came forward in a flurry of rose petals, Crescent Rose held firmly in her hands as she jumped off a large grey and green wolf with sapphire eyes. Yang shook her head at the sight before them. "Only she would come rushing in here on a wolf."

Somehow this was more than a fitting sight.

Then shock overtook the group as the wolf started to shift shapes right before their eyes. Fur became skin and armor, paws became hands and feet, the snout and head became a head full of blond hair.

"We are not doing that again," Jaune spoke as he rose to his feet, walking to the group. "I am not a mount."

"Oh, come on, it was effective." Her face held a smirk, remembering the ride fondly. It was so much fun. "We got so many Grimm and you can't tell me that it wasn't any fun running that fast."

The petite teen did have a point, it really was freeing to run through the forest like that. The breeze rushing around wildly, the dirt beneath his paws, the scents that whirled about, all becoming a blur of motion as she used her Semblance of speed with his wolf form. They melded all too well and all of it was invigorating, but he would be damned if he would let her know that he actually enjoyed running with her. That would just give her way too much power.

"I said no, and that's that." It wasn't. The young reaper with short dark hair could be pretty persistent if given the chance. He didn't know it but he gave her way too much of a chance and she was going to take

Jaune shifted his attention to the group around them, all having some mixed emotion and shock in their eyes. "Uh, hi?" he greeted as he raised his hand, giving a slow wave. "What's everyone staring at, do you I have something on my face?"

"I heard that you Hylians are like a pack of wolves but I didn't think it would be literally," Weiss spoke out, turning her nose to the boy. Jaune rose an eyebrow at the remark. As pretty as the heiress was, her attitude could use quite a bit of an adjustment. It didn't suit her one bit.

Blake stood exasperated at Weiss's comment. What had she landed herself into being paired off with someone who based their entire perception of the world on hearsay and rumors that was curated to meet a certain view?

Jaune's mouth hung open as he was about to speak, to ask her what the remark was supposed to mean before being cut off by an excited, electric voice. "That was so cool!" Nora exclaimed as she rushed up to the pair, almost knocking him over in a tight hug. "Since when could you turn into a wolf?! Why didn't you tell us about it?!"

Maybe it was for the best that he wasn't allowed to respond to the underhanded remark of Weiss; his mom had always told him that his big mouth would somehow find a way to land him into some type of trouble.

"Uh… since birth…I think that my family has a story about it somewhere, something about a curse of twilight becoming a gift for our family, I don't exactly remember it all at the top of my head." Come to think of it, wasn't there something about an imp that did the same thing that Ruby just did? Jaune shook his head a bit at the thought. While his partner was a tad short she couldn't possibly be as bad as an imp, could she? "I didn't say anything because I didn't think you would believe me. Kinda is something that you don't see everyday, right?"

"You could say that again," a blonde haired girl spoke, walking up to him. "Not everyday that a boy turns into a wolf. Though, I do have to tell ya something, you try anything with my sister that pisses me off or hurt her, I'll have a new pair of wolf skin boots."

Jaune gulped a bit in fear as he rose his hand in an attempt to placate his fellow blonde, nodding to show that he was listening to her. Usually people introduced themselves before making idle threats like that but who was he to say something to a woman that just oh so clearly made it a promise of a lifetime? "Wouldn't dream of it…"

"Yaaaanng," Ruby complained as she tugged at her sister's arm, trying to get her older sister to stop. "You're embarrassing me…"

"Just looking out for y…" And then Juane tuned the group out, listening to the world around him. He could vaguely see Ruby ascend the cobble stone steps and the others converse around them, making idle attempts to break free and finish the exam, but something was off…All he could hear were the sounds of excruciating silence. No birds were chirping, the wind was not rustling, the insects were not chittering. Nature ran from the clearing, leaving the students to be to their devices. What was he not getting? What was the world afraid of?

"What's wrong, Jaune?" Ruby asked, pocketing a chess piece but her blond teammate paid her no heed. He could not shake the sense of foreboding that had surrounded them. Something was coming for them, something vicious that forest was afraid of.

Ruby was starting to get worried, looking at her partner's face. His eyes were locked onto the forest that they had just escaped from. What was he searching for? What was he looking for? "Jaune, is everything al…"

"Scatter," Jaune spoke softly, his eyes drifting to everyone else. Fear was getting to him, causing his body to spasm out of control in a very primal feeling. He did not know what was coming but the longer they stayed congested, the more danger they were in.

"What was that, Wolf Boy?" the heiress questioned.

**"SQUAAAAA!"**

The air snapped around them in a piercing shriek, their eardrums reverberating in pain at the pitch. The wind shook violently as wings flapped, turning to razors against their skins. They could see it soaring from the cliff side above, diving towards the group. "Fucking scatter!"

Jaune dove to the side, dragging Ruby with him to the ground as talons scraped the earth, leaving jagged gouges as they moved through. The wind whipped about them in a flurry as black feathered wings brought the beast back to the air. _Legends speak of a bird that guards the island of the evil king._ Its eyes glowed red as it perched itself upon a crumbling tower, staring them down in a curious gaze of malice. _It roosts itself upon the tower of the forgotten prison, looking upon the sea for the hero that dares to stumble upon it. It is known as,_ "The Helmaroc King." It came out as a whisper legends of old rushed into Jaune's mind as he awed at the large avian Grimm.

The giant carrion gave a mighty screech as it took to the sky again, circling around the teens like a shark to a school of fish. "Oh, this day just keeps getting better and better…"

The ground trembled beneath their feet, pebbles jumping about. A guttural roar resonated from the forest, the trees shifting about as something large made its way to the clearing. Another dull thud, then another, resounding about like a beast taking large steps towards them, the earth shaking and shuddering under them. The evergreens parted, two large red three fingered hands pushing them aside at the trunks. Feet thundered about as it walked forward, following its impressive gut, a lone eye looking at them with a hungry gleam, disgusting yellow sclera surrounding blue bestial irises.

"You and your big mouth," Yang mumbled as she looked at the sight before her. What kind of Grimm was this?

**A/N-Alright, quick question. I am doing a them fore the chapter names, anyone think they can figure it out? Also, any ideas that you want to see? Let me know.**


	4. Shout at the Devil

**To Run with the Golden Wolves**

By The Good Life Creator

**Chapter Three-Shout at the Devil**

For as long a he could remember, Jaune had always wanted to be a huntsman. It was his dream, his passion, his drive for being alive. Growing up, he had always loved the stories that his father would sing to him at night after tucking him in for bed. The young boy fantasized that he was the valiant knight in shining armor, defending the world from evils unimaginable. He wanted to become that hero, a light that shown brilliantly upon the world, protecting it from the vileness that was reality. He wanted to make a difference to the lives of the many or a few. To be someone like all the Arcs that had came before him.

The problem became evident in his young mind when he brought his dreams of grander to his parents. They tore it down every time, telling him all the dangers that the world had to offer. How most of the world did not take kindly to Hylians like them. That he would just end up slain with no one around him. Their words stabbed at his heart, hearing how afraid of the world they were was not something he liked hearing. Jaune would combat their words with how they were trained hunters in their youth. That the way of the life they all had led was dangerous in its own right, living off the land as hunters of game and gathers. They always disregarded his points, telling him that they were done with hunting down Grimm and they don't go off looking for larger prey just what could sustain them and the large family more than comfortably.

Then the eve of his tenth birthday came and his father chose to unlock his aura. Jaune was told that it was for a right of passage, that his sisters before him had all done it and that the following morning he would take the youth to the wilds to fend for himself. The boy knew his father did not truly want to do any of this, that he wanted to keep his son safe from harm. Jaune could hear it in the older man's voice, regret swimming after each syllable, but a mix of Arc pride and Hylian tradition forced his father to do it.

The following morning, just before the sun peaked over the horizon, Jaune was hurled into a forest by his father. The young boy could have sworn that there was a camera flash from the cockpit of the airship but he couldn't be entirely sure of that. As he watched his father leave with a smile and a wave, all Jaune could feel was small, a bit of dread washing over him.

It was during the trip that the blond boy had found what his father's words truly meant when he said that lone wolves live short lives. His Semblance made it very clear that even if he was ever alone that he always had a pack of golden wolves to surround him with.

It was during that trip that Jaune had found the Master Sword, speaking to him through wordless sensations. He found tools of glowing blue light to help him become a true huntsman.

It was after a month that he came home, golden wolves running with him as he made it upon the homestead that he finally realized the gravity of what had happened during the trip. The look of pride and sorrow his father gave him had said it all.

He was seventeen when he learned that he was going to be attending Beacon, a dream come true. He was finally going to be someone that people could be proud of. His excitement drowned out his father's concerned words. Nothing could bring down this momentous event, even though he was told the day of orientation.

It was the very next day that Jaune had came to a very important realization.

He really needed to learn how to keep his mouth shut from time to time. A lot of the trouble that he had found himself in would not have never happened if he attained that virtue, like being flung into the air with little warning after mouthing off to the headmaster.

It was just a few moments ago that he started to question all of his life choices, pondering on just what he had gotten himself into. Sure, he knew that he would eventually be fighting off large and dangerous Grimm. That was something he expected to happen eventually. What he didn't expect was that he would be the talons of a large carrion Grimm with a bone mask while having a staring match with a giant of a beast with one large eye that came from the forest with a look of hunger.

Just what kind of beast was this thing? It didn't look like any Grimm he had heard about. Its eye glowed a sickly blue, not a hateful red. Its skin was the color of rust, not black and covered with bone-like protrusions. Gripping his sword, Jaune unsheathed it, standing before the giant with confusion and fear griping his heart. Just what was this thing?

The Arc's grip tightened on the hilt of the Master Sword, watching as the thing gripped a tree, ripping it out of the earth with a great show of immense force. There was no time to wonder what this thing was, not right now. The beast before him raise the tree like a club, roots dangling from the base, soil falling from the life giving threads. With conviction in his eyes, Jaune rushed forward, sword held at his side. This was not the time to be swallowed up by fear and curiosity. This was a time to act.

The forest giant swung the tree in a wide horizontal arc, pine needles littered the floor as it moved. Jaune ducked underneath, the wind brushed over blond locks as the wooden weapon missed his head. A growl escaped the beast's maw, bring the makeshift club over its head, its bestial eye filled with rage.

Now was his chance to get close. Ethereal golden wolves moved forward with Jaune as he moved in close. His blade licked the giant as the wolves snapped their jaws on red skin, drawing green blood.

"Hey!" Ruby yelled as she ran towards her comrade, Crescent Rose unfolding to its true form. "We're supposed to be a team!" Of all the things he could do, why did he choose to leave her behind? She moved quickly, rose petals dancing about. The giants large feet thundered about, shockwaves rolling through the earth, its hands smacking golden wolves off its hide like gnats, blips of light dying underneath its palms. She crashed into Jaune, sending the two rolling to the ground as the strange creature brought club down with a mighty thud, the ground and wood cracking under its mighty force.

"Idiots, the both of them," Yang spoke out in an exasperated tone, her face vaulting into her palms. "It's no wonder they found each other. They deserve each other." A shrill cry rang out through the air, reminding them of the Nevermore with the skull mask circling ever closer to the remaining group. "The rest of you think you can ground that bird?" What did Jaune call it? The Helma-something King? Whatever, she needed to help her sister take this giant thing down before it caused more damage.

Blake nodded, turning her gaze to the sky, the Nevermore screeching in anger as it moved in closer, eyes of crimson rage staring them down. How could they fight this beast in the skies when they didn't have wing to offer flight?

**_01234567890_**

Jaune rolled back, rising to shaky feet, his Master Sword gripped tightly in his hand, Ruby readying herself beside him. He would have to thank her for the unorthodox save after all this was said and done.

"We're supposed to be a team, you jerk," the petite teen said as she readied Crescent Rose.

"I know, I know." His center of gravity lowered as he focused on the giant, the thing turning in slow strides, its eye turning towards them. "I guess running to it wasn't my brightest idea in the whole world."

The beast reeled its hand back before jutting it forward, its palm smacking the blond across the field, wood splintering as he slammed into a tree. A groan of pain escaped his lips as he slumped to the ground. The world went dark for a few seconds, rattling as it came back to fuzzy clarity._ 'I really need to pay better attention.' _

The beast let out a hearty laugh, its bellows resonating through the air, its hands holding its enormous gut. The little reaper glared at the thing as it let out wheezes from its lungs. She really wasn't liking the look in the thing's eye… wait, that was it, the eye!

Crescent Rose transformed once again, a large red rifle sitting in her hands as she raised it to her shoulders. The beast lowered itself as it stretched its arms out, a hungry look glazed on its face, its large tongue licking at its jaws. With the pull of the trigger, the riffle shuttered in recoil, firing a fifty caliber slug into the giants eye.

The beast howled in pain, covering its eyes as it staggered back, small quakes forming as it stamped it's feet about. "Hey! Big boy! Over here!" The large troll turned its head, its eye blinking, red veins appearing in yellow sclera. A concussive force blasted against its cheek, making it stager once more as Yang rebounded back to the earth, her Ember Celica recoiling for another strike. A shield of bronze brought the beast to its knees, colliding into its forehead. With a groan, the beast fell onto its side, a dull thud under its wake.

Jaune groaned in slight pain as he staggered to his feet, looking at the scene before him. "Did…" A sharp inhale of breath burned his lungs as he struggled to regain some form of composure. "Did we kill it?" A sharp poke to his cheek made him realize he had feeling back in his body. "Ouch, what did I do wrong this time?"

"We're supposed to be teammates remember?" Ruby spoke, a pout forming on her face. "You can't run off like that."

"Yeah, I know, not the brightest of ideas," he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "But I thought we already talked about that."

A smile graced her lips as she looked up. "Yeah, but I figure we got four years to work on it. Along with your language."

"You do seem to have a bit of a mouth on you," Pyrrha spoke, placing a hand on hip. "You could do well to work on that. Maybe a little foot work as well."

"I'll take that under consideration…" The piece of criticism felt like a dagger to his heart for some reason. He knew that he should have paid better attention to the beast, that he should have seen the smack coming from how slow beast moved. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Pyrrha Nikos," she smiled at the boy, sheathing Milo and Akuou.

"Jaune Arc." He outreached his hand for a greeting, earning an odd look from his partner beside him. "What?"

"That's it? What happened to…"

Jaune glared at the petite teen. "Don't even start on that, Crater Face."

"Crater face?"

"I found you in face first in a crater so, yeah, Crater Face."

Her cheeks puffed in faux anger, her eyes narrowing at her teammate. "Whatever, Wolf Boy."

Jaune's shoulders slumped a bit as he dropped his head. "Not you, too."

A groan rattled around them, the beast growling as it rose to its feet. "Oh come on! How is this thing still alive!" Jaune growled as he glared at the thing, watching the thing staggered about as it tried to regain its footing. "Circle it! It can't focus on all of us!"

His grip strengthened on his blade as he lifted his feet, circling to the beast's left, the rest of the group following suit. His gauntlet glowed as he clicked his fingers, a rune changing to a bright blue claw. Golden wolves ran beside him, rushing to nip at the heels of the beast. The forest giant growled in anger as the team ran around him, dividing its focus. Its hand raised, clasping hand together in an effort to bring them down to soil. The blond teen skidded to a halt behind the large creature, an orb of blue light forming around his law, a claw coming to shape in his palm. "I really hope that this works."

Jaws snapped at the hoodie beneath his armor, holding him tightly to the ground as a chain of blue light flew from his palms, the claw sinking deep into three fingered hands. The beast roared as it attempted to swing its hands down, Jaune groaning in pain as he felt his arms start to give out. The wolves tugged further, the stitching of his hoodie starting to wear out. "Someone fucking do something!"

A series of shots rang out and the beast faltered, losing balance as it writhed in pain. Jaune tugged the hook shot, capitalizing on the beasts lack of balance, forcing the beast onto its back. Golden wolves erupted from him, rushing to the beast, biting into rusty flesh in an attempt to keep the monstrosity pinned.

"Pin its hand!" Ruby yelled, running towards one of its palms, the spike on Crescent Rose slamming into its flesh, drawing more green blood as metal pierced through into the earth. Pyrrha nodded, drawing Milo and plunging deep into the other palm. The forest giant let out cry of agony as a fist slammed into its eye, a concussive blast erupting as its body shook and writhed, giving off its final throws before slipping away.

"Please, someone tell me that this thing is finally dead," Jaune said, sheathing the Master Sword, dusting off his pants. He could feel holes in his hoody, something he would have to attempt to sew later.

Yang gave a kick to the thing's head, the beast not responding to the poke she gave. "Yeah, looks like the thing's lights out hard." She took a look at her hand, grimacing as the viscous fluid covered Ember Celica and ran down her forearm. "Ewwwww, I got it on my hand.

"Why isn't that thing disappearing?" Ruby questioned, silver eyes looking at the forest giant as it bled out. Grimm disappeared after being slain so why wasn't this thing?

"LOOOK OUT BELLOW!" A voice called out called out from above, a large bird came crashing into the dead beasts stomach beak first.

_**01234567890**_

_"The rest of you think you can ground that bird?"_

Blake cursed to herself as they ran towards the bridge in an attempt to get the overly large carrion bird to follow; Nora, Ren, and Weiss trailing behind closely. The ornate archways that used to travel along were in a total state of disarray, all of them providing little cover from the Helmaroc King as it soared overhead, looking for its first victim. An ear piercing screech echoed through the air as it swooped down at the group, its talons extended to entrap its prey, its wings spread out in an effort to create drag upon its decent, its beak held open as it shrieked once more in a war cry.

Nora gritted her teeth as she rushed to the front, her Magnhild unfolding and coming to life in the form of a large war hammer. "Take this!" the orange haired girl screamed as she swung her hammer in a swooping motion into the Grimm's face, its skull-like mask cracking as Magnhild let out a shattering force from its head. The excitable girl let out a low whistle as she watched the carrion soar away, her hand placed flat over eyes in an effort to keep the sun's rays at bay.

"Did you see how far I hit it Renny?"

Ren smiled as he grasped her shoulder, looking along with her. Her heart thudded a bit at the slight affection her friend showed her.

"Must be only impressive in size if it has been felled by only one attack." Weiss spoke out, her gaze turning away from the group.

"Oh, I didn't kill it." Nora's voice was deadpan as she continued to look at the Grimm's trajectory.

"What?" Once again the white haired girl turned her attention back on the group. Surely that thing was dead.

"I didn't kill it. See, its right there." It was almost as if it were on cue, as soon as Nora pointed out to where she had hit the Helmaroc King soaring off to, a loud shrill war cry rattled the air, the beast's eyes glowing red with anger as it flew back for another round. "I only bought us time."

"Time for what?"

"To come up with a plan." The smile of excitement plastered on Nora's face gave Weiss the impression that the orange haired teen before her was insane.

"Oh, and what plan is that? Hit the thing with your hammer? Because that worked so well before, you dolt."

Blake's eyes narrowed as she eyed her surroundings. The Valkyrie was able to crack the carrion's face, maybe if they were strike it again the Grimm would disappear. "We have to get it close, keep it near the ground so Nora can hit it again." Her eyes shifted to Ren, drawing Gambol Shroud from its sheath, the blade folding into a pistol. "We need to draw it closer to land, let Weiss trap it when we get it close enough for Nora to hit."

Ren nodded, green pistols extending from his sleeves, the sickle blades extending downwards from the lower of Storm Flower. He readied himself, breathing in deep as his arms steadied his aim. Flashes of green escaped the muzzles, the slides recoiling as rounds fired off round after round, slamming into the Helmaroc King.

The carrion Grimm gave out another shrill cry as it soared, circling around them before landing on the bridge. Stone cracked under its weight, creating spider web patterns with every step of its sharp talons, its wings flared in anger as it moved towards them. The group ran, keeping their aim on the large bird as it charged them. Magnhild folded, allowing Nora to take better aim. "Watch out!"

A flash of red rocketed into the air, colliding into the bridge under the Grimm's talons, stone crumbling apart. The wind whirled about as feathery wings brought the Helmaroc King to the skies once more, soaring above before coming for another strike. Gambol Shroud folded, the pistol becoming a scythe attached to a black chain. Ducking under it, claws scraping the space where they were, Nora threw her scythe around the beast's talon, pulling it taut once in an effort to pull the beast back to the bridge.

The beast squawked out in anguish as its wings moved hastily, trying to pull free from the Faunas's grasp. Nora and Ren ran towards the black haired girl's chain, pulling on it as hard as they can. The beast moved closer to the ground despite its effort to fly into the sky. "Nora, do you think that you can make it?" Nora asked, her voice strained as she pulled on her Gambol Shroud.

Nora smiled as Magnhild took shaped, the short orange haired girl stepping on the head of her new found steed. With the pull of the trigger, the energetic girl soared through the air, her hammer spinning in her hands. With a mighty thunk the bone helmet cracked once more, eyes of crimson rage opening wide in pain, its body going limp as it fell back to the bridge with a thud. Glyphs of white light glowed under the beast, ice spreading over its wings and tail. Finally, the beast was captured.

Nora smiled wide as she swung Magnhild down once more, the head firing off as it made contact with the mask of bone. The mask shattered into pieces, the beast cried out in pain as it writhed and shuddered. The ice gave way against all odds, cracking under the beasts might, its wings gifting it flight once more in a sloppy fashion, fluttering towards the clearing.

**"SQUAAA!"**

Nora gave off a yell of her own as she slammed her hammer back down upon the carrion's head. The beast gave off one final cry before going limp once more, plummeting towards the one eyed beast bellow. "LOOK OUT BELOW!" The Grimm slammed into the forest giant beak first.

_**01234567890**_

The initiates stood in awe, watching as Ozpin gave a grand speech about them, how much of a spectacular performance they gave, the crowd in the stands roaring in applause. "Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky lark, the four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces." The screens behind them flashed with the teen's faces. "From this day forward, you will be working together as Team Cardinal (CRDL), led by Cardin Winchester."

The audience gave off a soft roar as the students that we called walked to the center as a group, waving their hands at the stands. As the applause died the grey haired man continued to speak. "Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikkos, Yang Xiao Long, the four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will be working together as Team Jasper (JYPR)." The crowd exploded in a loud roar, the sound of applause thundered from the audience.

"Why are they clapping so loud?" Jaune questioned, eyeing the area around him. "We got someone important on our team?"

Yang peaked an eye brow at her fellow blond. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" How out of the public scope was he?

"Its Pyrrha," Yang spoke, the name being the only answer she needed.

"But wasn't she only on a box of cereal?" Yup, he definitely had no clue.

"You really don't know… How isolated are you Hylians?" Weiss remarked, her eyes narrowed in a scrutinizing fashion.

Before the wolf boy could respond Ozpin continued. "Led by Jaune Arc," the voice boomed over the hall, Jaune's eyes widening in shock.

"Wait, what?!" Pyrrha pushed his shoulder a bit, pushing the boy slightly off balance.

Yang smiled as she walked forward with the group. "Way to go, fearless leader."

"I'm not fearless…"

Ruby smiled brightly as she stood beside Jaune. "You're gonna be a great leader."

"And finally; Blake Belladonna, Nora Valkryie, Lie Ren, and Weiss Schnee. You four retrieved the four retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will be working together as team Robin (RWBN) led by Lie Ren."

Nor squealed in excitement as she shook Ren's shoulders. "I knew it!" A gigawatt smile found its way on to her face as she continued to shake the young man.

Weiss eyed him quizzically. The boy was quiet above anything else but he did seem competent as well as Blake. The orange haired girl seemed to be annoyingly excitable.

Blake gripped her arm as she stood with her team. Maybe she could just get by unnoticed.

_**01234567890**_

"Why'd you want to talk out here?" Blake asked, staring out at the night sky, stars littering the field of dark, surrounding the shattered moon. Jaune simply smirked as he turned around, his hands stuck in his pockets.

"Oh, you know, just to keep away from the scary kids." He had a slight smirk before dropping into a serious expression. He could tell that Blake wasn't going to like where this was going. "You know I know right?"

Blake stiffened, taking a step back in shock. "What do you know?"

Jaune just chuckled slightly as he turned around, walking towards the door to the inside. "Ain't my story to tell, that's yours, just a word though, you might want to find a way to tell your team. It could mean the difference of trust and a dysfunctional team. Trust me, it'll come out eventually."

"How'd you find out?"

Jaune shrugged as he opened the door. "Well, I kinda have heightened senses and you kinda smell like cats and tuna. That and your bow really isn't doing a good job of hiding your ears."

"What?"

"How is it so hard to believe? You saw me change from a wolf." With that the Hylian left, the door giving a soft click, leaving the Faunus girl to her own devices. A sigh escaped her lips as the realization of flying under the radar had shattered like a pane of glass. She was part of a team now, Jaune made sure that she knew that fact while not stating the why.

Twisting on her heals towards the door, she couldn't help but think of how she was going to tell her team. How would they take it? How could she even begin to tell them?

_**01234567890**_

Jaune didn't know what he was expecting when he walked into the room his team was sharing. Maybe they would have been looking over the classes they were about to take, maybe looking over their weapons, maybe they would be sleeping. He really didn't know. The last thing he would be expecting were haphazard bunk beds thrown together with rope, the beds swinging a bit as the door closed. "What happened?"

Ruby's silver eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands together, a giddy smile on her face. "The beds took up too much room so I thought that we could have bunk beds!" So she was the ring leader of this whole operation? That he could expect.

"Wouldn't this be something that should be brought up to the team leader?" the blond boy asked as he continued to stare, inspecting the design further. How did they even accomplish this? What did they even use for an anchor point to even suspend the beds? "The teachers are going to be so pissed about this."

"I call top bunk!" Ruby called out as she threw herself onto one of the suspended beds. She really was proud of this accomplishment.

Yang shook her head as she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder as he just hung his head. "Face it Wolf Boy, you're team leader in name and name alone."

"Don't remind me." His voice was defeated as he walked further into the room, closing the door behind him.

"It does save space," Pyrrha added as she threw her stuff under one of the bottom beds.

Jaune shook his head as he threw his stuff on the bed under Ruby. "Whatever, I'm too tired for this stuff anyways. The teachers come to skin us alive, I blame you." Yup, that was his plan, throwing his team under the bus to save his skin, and damn it, he was going to stick to it… Maybe.

"Oh, hey, I forgot to ask you, what was the deal with that hard-light dust?" Ruby asked, peaking her head over the side. "I didn't know that it could be armor and a glider like that."

"Oh, that? Nothing I have uses dust. It's called Ancient Tech. I found a journal and some stuff when I found my sword. I can show you the journal later."

Ruby just nodded as she laid back down. Ancient Tech, huh? What were the possibilities if it could be used to augment Crescent Rose?

"Anyways, I'm gonna go get ready for bed," he spoke out, grabbing clothes from his bag. He would unpack in the morning. Right now he just wanted to shower and sleep.

"Are those bunny slippers?"

"Shut it, Yang."

"And a bunny shirt?"

"I said shut it."

"Didn't those come as a set with a onesie?"

"Not you too, Pyrrha…" Jaune's shoulders slumped as his head banged against the bathroom door.

"I bet he keeps it in his bag." Yang was really having too much fun with this.

"I do not." He did, it was perfectly folded near the top of his clothes. He liked to wear it on weekends while lounging about. It was the most comfortable thing he owned and no one was going get in his way to lounging with sugar cereal.

"He totally does!" Ruby laughed out, calling his bluff. "You're totally a dork!"

"Takes one to know one."

Ruby just stuck out her tongue as he door slammed closed. Yang laughed at the scene as she claimed the bed above Pyrrha. "Both of you are dorks, no wonder you found each other."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yang laughed a little bit, her sister could be so naive. It was amazing that the little reaper was such a prodigy on the field but when it came to people, she faltered hard.

"You can figure it out, dear little sister. Just remember, you chose to ride him."

"But it was effective!" Ruby spoke out, missing the double entendre. Yup, she was naïve. "Besides, he said he wouldn't do it again…"

Yang had a pensive smile as she looked at her younger sister. "But didn't you have fun?"

Ruby blushed as she pushed her fingers together, the skin on her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "…Yeah…"

"Well, you have the dork wrapped around your finger, maybe you could trick him to let you have a little fun."

"I don't have him wrapped around my finger, though."

Yang smiled at her little sister, a plan forming in her head. "You know, I have a feeling that he's a betting man."

**_01234567890_**

Ozpin stared at the screen as he reviewed the recordings from the Emerald Forest. The hulking behemoth with one eye moved about as it was attacked by four teens that had no idea what it was. A Hinox, a beast of old that roamed around freely before the fall of the king. He pinched the bridge of his nose, grasping his cup, the aroma of coffee filling the office. "The beasts of old marks the return of the king…"

"That wasn't the only thing to appear outta nowhere," the dark haired man spoke out, dull red eyes shifting back to the headmaster. "They're popping up everywhere, Bokoblins, Moblins, the monsters from tales are all commin' outta the woodwork. Is he really back?"

"We both knew that it would happen sooner or later," Ozpin spoke, taking a long sip from his cup. "We don't know if he is back in full force or if he is just seeping from the cracks."

"And you need me too take a quick look to see what he is doing?"

"You might want to take a Hylian with you. These are their tales after all."

The dark haired man chuckled lightly as he turned around. "Francois is going to be pissed about this, you know that?"

**A/N-Let me know what you think. I wanted to do something than the team RNJR and NWYB or whatever they renamed it to. I will be following the plot of RWBY for a little bit but not extensively so. A lot of things will change based off the team changes.**

**The poll really didn't get a lot of attention but I have a different idea on something I wanna do, all I can say is For the glory of Merlin, daylight is mine to command.**

**Please leave reviews on what you wanna see, on what I'm doing right or wrong, all of it.**


	5. Of Wolf and Man

**To Run with the Golden Wolves**

By The Good Life Creator

**Chapter Four-Of Wolf and Man**

"I don't like this one single bit," Francois spoke, taking another drag off his burning cigarette, his back pressed against the railing of his porch. Qrow expect that remark from his long time friend. The dark haired man had asked the blond man to do something that was incredibly dangerous. "You come here and tell me that our horror stories are comin' to life, knowing damn well that I'm already of that, and then ask me to what, go off and find the King? You know how stupid of an idea that is, Qrow?"

"I didn't hear a no." Every syllable was drawn out in an annoying sing song voice as Qrow took a swig out of his flask. "Come on, you know the woods and the stories better than anyone else. You know exactly what we're looking for. It'll be like old times, just that we'll be on the same team instead of sister teams."

Francois drug his fingers across his face. He really wasn't going to like this at all. "You are asking for a helluva lot, you know that? What am I goin' to tell my wife, my daughters still home? Sorry but daddy's got pulled out of retirement. I know I promised to take you to the city but the world needs me. Don't worry though, I am going with an odd man with a very unfittin' Semblance. I'll be fine."

Qrow shot the blonde haired man an odd look. "Unfitting Semblance?"

Francois took another drag, finishing his cigarette, smashing it into the ashtray beside him, exhaling toxic smoke with a raspy breath. "Yeah, unfittin'. It's a murder of crows, not a misfortune." His shoulder brushed against Qrow's lightly as he made his way to the door. "I'm way to sober for this." His hands grasped the doorknob, giving it a twist, his eyes glancing over his shoulder. "Wanna join?"

Qrow smiled, following the Arc into the homestead. "A drink with the Arc Alpha? What kind of idiot would I be to miss that offer?" The door closed behind him as he walked, following Francois to the kitchen. "Hey, you hear that your boy passed initiation?"

Francois grunted at the memory. "Yeah, part of me hoped he wouldn't. I just wanted him to stay a boy for just a bit longer." A smirk crept across his face, watching the dark haired man grasp at a bottle of whiskey. "Didn't he get placed on a team with your nieces?"

The face vault was priceless to see. "Don't remind me. Ruby and Yang already sent a text to both Tai and me and boy is he pissed." Francois let out a loud laugh at the thought. "Yang pretty much described you; blond, scraggly, a bit of a loud mouth. I ain't worried about her. Ruby, on the other hand, wouldn't shut up about that pup of yours. What the hell did you teach him?"

"That would be tellin'." Francois held a small smile at Qrow's reaction.

Qrow glared daggers as Francois poured his own drink into his glass. "Your pup does anything to her…"

"Relax, Qrow, he wouldn't do a damn thing. Boy is to invested with how happy people are not to do the right thing." His glass rose to his lips, burning alcohol parching his throat. "You should be happy for them. If they are anything like their parents, they might be stuck for life."

"That's what I'm worried about."

_**01234567890**_

Ruby scrunched her face in thought as she looked over the pages of her magazine under the flashlight held in her hand. She knew it had to be here somewhere, she just knew it. That sword, as boring as it seemed at first glance, fascinated her to no end. There was something about it that drew her in, intrigued her. "There it is!" she squealed to herself in excitement before hushing herself down. She needed to stay quiet, it was still early and none of the others were awake yet. She couldn't help herself though, she needed to see what made that sword so special, and she had found it! Now to see why she was intrigued about a boring old blade.

_'The Master Sword also known as The Blade of Evil's Bane, The Legendary Sword, The Sword of Legend, The Master Sword of Resurrection, The Sword that Seals the Darkness, or The Sacred Sword.'_

Wow, so many titles for one single sword. How important was this sword to begin with?

_'It is said to be originally crafter by the lost goddess Hylia, forged by the hands of the chosen hero in the Sacred Flames. It is told from Hylian to Hylian that the blade chooses its champion, the spirit in the blade ever watching for the hero to return after being placed in the forest's in which it came under the watch of the elder tree, lost to time. No one can find the blade, leaving most of its tales to be speculation. Does it truly exist or is it just a story?'_

That's it? That was all the magazine had to tell her? Where were all the juicy features of what gave the sword all those names? That did it, she didn't care what Jaune would say, she was taking a closer look at the so called 'Master Sword.' Leaping softly from her bed she crept towards where Jaune had placed his sword. The hilt felt wrong in her hands as she unsheathed the blade. It felt uneven, cold and warm. The weight of it felt unbalanced, all of it was placed at the pummel. The edge was smooth and blunt, holding none of the cutting force she saw when it cut through the Beowolves. "How on earth did he even use this thing? It's more like a bat."

"Because the sword doesn't recognize you." Ruby froze as her heart stopped and restarted. How long was her partner awake? "A little bit ago when you were flipping the pages. You weren't exactly quiet about it." Another stop and restart of her heart made her stumble slightly. Jaune could read minds?! "Nope, you're just that obvious."

Jaune held a small smile as he rolled out his bed, taking care to duck his head under the top bunk. There had to be a better way to suspend the beds than having an awkward pulley system. "Wanna see what makes that sword so special?"

"Yes!" A chance to see why this sword was so special to earn so many names? Count her in!

"Alright, hold out the sword like this." Jaune raised his hands, his palms held upwards and flat. Ruby mimicked his motion, the sword feeling incredibly unbalanced. How did he fight with this thing? "Keep your palms flat. Don't want you to cut yourself." Ruby scoffed at the thought. Crescent Rose always unfolded in her hands and she never cut the reaper. How could a bat cut her?

And then it happened.

Jaune placed a finger atop the center of the Master Sword. It was like magic, the sword balanced itself, feeling lighter in an instant. The hilt felt welcoming, like the sword belonged with her. The edge became sharper than it had ever been before. A glaze went over her eyes as memories of glory flooded her mind. Mechanical beings being destroyed by a flash of golden light, orcs being slain by a warrior, a kingdom being risen from the sea, a mirror being shattered before reborn, an evil king being turned to stone, sealed, stricken, all by the blade that destroys the darkness.

It just all clicked.

And then it all felt wrong. The Master Sword fell out of her hands, clambering to the floor in dull thuds. What did she just see? What did she experience? Was that sword talking to her? She could vaguely remember the wordless whispers. "What makes the sword so special isn't just the tales that we tell ourselves and our children. It's because that the Master Sword talks." Talking wasn't the right word for what it has shown.

Jaune didn't give her much of a chance on reflection as he rifled through his bags, pulling out a old torn, leather bound journal, the pages frayed and stained. "You should read up on this stuff before class. I think you might like this a little more than just old tales about a long gone era we Hylians tell ourselves to feel more important." With that he walked towards the bathroom, leaving Ruby to her own devices.

What the Dust did she just experience?

_**01234567890**_

"Monsters, demons, prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey!" Professor Port let out a lung filled laugh as he continued to lecture the class. His thick mustache bobbed as he continued to speak, gesturing to many of the diagrams and heads that lined his classroom walls. He seemed to be larger than life but none of team JYPR or RWBN could focus on him.

"How is he able to do that?" Yang whispered to Ruby, eyeing their blond leader. Two journals sat in front of him but his eyes were only focused on one, drawings and measurements being added to its pages as he mindlessly wrote down what he thought the teacher was saying in the left. Was he even paying attention to the Professor?

"And you shall, too!" the hearty man continued. The class before him was slowly groaning as he continued his story. Whether he noticed the room slipping in and out of focus was not shown. "After graduating from this prestigious academy, of course. No, as I was saying…"

"How should I know?" Ruby protested, staring along with her sister.

"Our planet is absolutely teeming with…" Port's voice was ever present but none of the students could pay attention to the story.

"You're his partner," Yang spoke out. "This is beyond weird."

"Would you people just pay attention," Weiss whispered to the two. "Follow your leader's lead. At least he knows what he's doing."

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves!" His voice fell onto deaf ears as the class tuned out, a student's face landing hard upon the desk. "From what, you ask? Why, the very world!"

"He isn't paying attention to the professor," Pyrrha mentioned, pointing towards the notebooks. "He's to focused on the one with the drawings."

"That is what you are training to become. But first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome man... Me! When I was a boy..."

Ruby took a look at the notebooks that Jaune had busied himself with. She could see designs similar to the other notebook he handed her. Was he creating a new weapon? Would he let her help? Was that why he told her to read about ancient tech? Then she took a peak at the other journal and raised an eyebrow. "But he's writing everything down."

"...Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter', he told me..."

"But he isn't looking at the teacher or the book," Blake pointed out.

"In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"

Jaune continued to draw and write, his eyes never leaving the notebook to his right. How was this possible?

"The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable!"

Ruby's eyes narrowed, a thought forming in her head. She had to see what he was doing. The curiosity was getting too much and the focus he was paying the notebook made it just the more enticing.

"A true Huntsman must be dependable!"

Her hand raised, a finger pointing towards her blond leader.

"A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

Ruby nodded to herself, finding the conviction that she needed.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

"I'm up!" Jaune yelled out, rubbing his side from the sharp poke. His attention turned to his partner, eyes narrowed at the look of guilt plastered on her face. "Why the…"

"Well, then, let's test that, Mister Arc!" Professor Port yelled out in a boisterous tone, cutting Jaune off. The larger than life man made a grand gesture towards the cage that sat at the end of the classroom. Chains rattled as a growl escaped from its depths, four red eyes staring out of it in seething rage. How did that thing go unnoticed? "Step forward, and face your opponent!"

Jaune glared at his team as he stood up, retrieving his sword. "I hate you all." Ruby stuck out her tongue as he walked to the front of the class. She looked at the notebooks he left behind. This was her chance.

"Let's go Jaune!" Yang yelled out.

Pyrrha smiled as Jaune readied himself. His stance was different from her own, loose but refined, his center lowered, his blade held aloft, his free arm blocking his face. She couldn't find any faults in its design but she could see that it was nothing of a practiced form.

Professor Port smiled as he grasped his trusty Blowhard, a blunderbuss with twin axe blade on its stock. "Let's get to it then!" Gripping the barrel, the large man slammed the axe down on the lock keeping the Grimm at bay.

The bars fell forward and the beast lunged in a blur. The Master Sword scraped at its bones as Jaune parried it to the side, the Boarbatusk howling out. Its tusks curled up wards, its teeth gleamed as it licked its chops. It was armored with bones, red markings staining its mask.

Cloven feet pounded against the floor as the Grimm made another go at the Hylian, its head lowered to ram. His blade locked against the tusks, keeping the beast at bay. Grunting, Jaune let his blade slip, side stepping the beast as it lurched forward. The gilded blade struck true at once, licking the legs of the beast.

The Boarbatusk let out a pained scream as it felt to its side, clumsily sliding across the classroom floor. Jaune moved quickly as he moved the thing to its back, plunging the blade deep.

"Well done, Mister Arc!" Port yelled in a congratulatory tone. "You made quick work in exploiting its weakness! Take heed class, while a Boarbatusk is an incredibly armored advisory they are not invincible at the stomach as our fellow student here as demonstrated. Now, if you please, I'd like to share with you another tale…"

_**01234567890**_

"That was so awesome!" Ruby exclaimed. "The Grimm was like roar! And you were like grrrr! And then it was like blaah!" She mimicked what transpired in Port's class with wild motions.

"That was cheap," Jaune retorted as he placed his plate down. Most of it were meats with some vegetables to add some variety. "If you guys just wanted to know what I was doing, you could just ask."

"But then we wouldn't see all those awesome moves!" Nora exclaimed as the rest of RWBN sat down. "Seriously, where did you learn how to move like that? You were like a knight."

"You have no practice," Weiss spoke. "Your movements were erratic, any fool with experience could overpower you."

"Leave him alone, Weiss," Yang spoke out, glaring a bit at the white haired girl. "He totally kicked butt!"

Pyrrha shook her head. "I didn't see any wasted movements. As formless was your style is, it has shape. Where did you learn?"

"You guys wouldn't believe me if I told you," Jaune spoke out.

"So, what were you working on in class?" Blake inquired.

"A new weapon. I want something with a bit more weight." Jaune turned his attention to Ruby, staring her in the eye. "I was going to ask you to help. It's why I threw the book at you this morning but noooo. You had to poke me to take a look."

Ruby almost looked sheepish as she chuckled in embarrassment. "Sorry?"

"Uh-huh, sure you are," Jaune grumbled as he took a bite of steak.

"So, you didn't listen to a word that Professor Blowhard said?" Yang asked.

"Not after he introduced himself."

"Then what's with the notes?" Ren asked."

"Oh, that?" Jaune's hands went two the back of his head as he tried to remember. "I learned how to do that after my mom used to scold me for doing something. I would just zone out and write down whatever she was saying while thinking of something different. I'm ambidextrous, so things just took off."

_**01234567890**_

Jaune sighed as he took a look at his desk, work benches as Ruby had called them. His fingers tips scraped at his face, tugging at his eyelids as he drug them down. How was he going to make this happen? Gears of stone, pins, and glowing blue orbs sat in front of him as he tried to figure out what he was going to do next. As he picked up the ancient core with an inquisitive look he heard the door open with a click.

"Wanna talk about the sword?" Jaune asked, his hands never leaving the ancient tools. Ruby nodded as she walked in, knowing full well that he couldn't see her make such a movement. "What did it show you?"

"It…" Ruby started, trying to find the words. Why was this so difficult. "It showed me triumph. What you are capable of." There, she said it. Yet it felt so wrong to say it. Words were not enough to placate what it showed her.

"That's it?" Jaune asked, a bitter laugh escaping his lips as he turned around. "That's all it showed you?"

"You make it sound like a bad thing," Ruby asked, taken aback by the boy's response. Was it really a bad thing.

Jaune sighed, his shoulders slumping as he slouched in his chair. "It isn't, it's just that…" Jaune took a sharp breath in as he thought of the words he was going to say. Why was this so difficult to even think about? "It showed me everything. It showed me past heroes using it, winning. It showed me birth of kingdoms. It also showed the price of failure. Kingdoms drowning, cities burning, lives being destroyed, every gory bit. It showed me everything it has been through and not at the same time." He paused in concentration, taking another sharp breath. In, out. "That sword is the harbinger of the beginning and the end, Ruby. It's drawn before the storm. Ever since I found the thing, I've been told what is expected of me. I grew up wanting to be a hero so I was game at the start, but, I dunno. It shows victories and failures of the past but it doesn't show me when mine will be. I don't know what it will be. I just, I don't know, I guess I'm just worried about the price of failure."

Ruby nodded, listening to his fears. She didn't know all the Hylian stories that he was told. The entire importance of the Master Sword. But she knew that it showed her what she needed to know, what she needed to do to help. She wasn't going to let him think this way anymore. "I think that it only showed me the good half for a reason."

"Oh, do tell?"

"I think it showed me that so I can keep your mind on the path ahead." That and she got to learn more about her partner.

He stared her in the eyes for a moment, trying to figure out just the nature of what she had said. Maybe the sword speaking to her was a good thing. A smile crossed his lips as he twirled around, motioning her to come closer. "You read the journal?"

Yeah she did and she learned so much from it! She couldn't wait to design upgrades for Crescent Rose with ancient tech and the best part of it was that she got to try it with Jaune. "Yeah! We could do so much damage with this stuff!"

"Someone's excited." He liked seeing her wide smile at the thought of weapons. "Wanna help create a chainsaw? I can't get the rotation right with the receiver and the projector and who better to ask than a weapon nut?"

Ruby smacked his arm as he laughed, pulling a chair next to him. This was going to be fun. "We should make it a scythe!"

Jaune laughed at her, shaking his head in mirth. "Dream on, Crater Face."

_**01234567890**_

It had been a couple weeks since they had started their first semester at Beacon and Yang could not be happier about it. Sure, she wasn't the most thrilled person in the world of Remnant at first. She didn't want to be on a team with her younger sister, Ruby, an attempt to force her sister to break the reaper out of her shell in a manner of speaking.

That was why the brawler was thrilled to have Pyrrha as a partner when they landed in the Emerald Forest. She was happy when Ruby came running up on a wolf that turned out to be Jaune. Good, they had different partners! A chance for the young reaper to break out of her shell.

Then the forest giant came rushing in and the two dorks decided to run right up to it. What kind of sister would she be if she let Ruby and her partner get crushed? After they killed the thing, they were told that they were going to be on the same team. It wasn't ideal at first but it gave her a new goal, to tease her sister and the dork of a leader, Jaune.

A week after invitation, Jaune got a 'brilliant' idea after watching Pyrrha wake up every morning. He decided that the entire team should train as well, to become more than team JYPR, but team Badass. While Yang was not happy about it at first, the teasing material it provided made it all better.

Yang held a smile on her face as she pointed her scroll at the scene before her in the courtyard of Beacon. She knew that Ruby would break him down, Arc pride be damned. Ruby laughed, making Yang smile even wider. So much blackmail material, and it was made even better by he fact that her sister as happy.

Poor Wolf Boy was never going to live this down; not when the blonde brawler had video proof of it.

"Why is he letting her do this?" Blake inquired, watching as Jaune let Ruby ride him in his wolf form once again. The blonde brawler stiffened at the voice. When did Blake get here? The young reaper held a large grin on her face as she activated her Semblance, rose petals dancing about as the two became nothing but a blur. "Doesn't he find that a little demeaning?"

Yang shot her a side eye glance, her scroll's lens never leaving the two as they ran about the courtyard. "I don't think Jaune sees it that way." Her attention went back to the sight before her, watching as Jaune made leaps over imaginary obstacles, gnawing at the air as Ruby cheered him on from his back. "He might have a mouth but it really does take a lot to get under his skin. 'Sides, he's having just as much fun with it as she is."

Blake kept her gaze on the two running, watching as the young teen unfolded Crescent Rose, hacking at imaginary foes as Jaune made quick footed motions in erratic motions. _'I'm not a mount.'_ The words Jaune told Ruby when they retrieved their relics. Were they just hollow words uttered for the sake of pride? Was he really content with the girl in the red hood using him like this?

"You think I can talk Ruby into playing fetch with him?" Yang asked, a grin nearly splitting her face in two. "I already got a frisbee."

"He isn't a pet," Blake stated, turning her attention to the blonde. "He's a Hylian, not just some animal that you can make do tricks for your amusement."

Yang looked at the raven haired girl, never taking her scroll away from viewing. "I never said he was. Why is this so wrong for you? Can't you let the two have some fun?"

The Faunus looked back to Jaune and Ruby as they did laps once more. The two of them looked so innocent in their play, neither of them realizing the depth of their actions. "It sets a bad precedent, not only for Hylians, but for Faunus as well. Makes it seem like it's okay to treat both of them like animals."

"I think I get it now," Yang spoke, stopping her scroll from recording. Good, she was finally seeing the bigger picture. This was not okay to do. No matter how innocent it appeared to be. "You're jealous of Ruby!" the blonde brawler accused, finger held up to point at the raven haired teen.

"What? That's not it…"

"It's written all over your face, my smut reading friend," Yang proclaimed, cutting of the Faunus in disguise. "Hate to break it to you though, Ruby doesn't like sharing her things. She can be very territorial. One time I tried taking a look at her scythe and she nearly lopped my head off for attempting to touch her baby."

Blake glared at Yang, all the spite she can muster sparkled in her eyes. For one, Ninjas of Love was not smut, it was an adult novel series. Second, she was not jealous of Ruby. The Faunus was damn sure of that. She would never attempt to use the boy as a mount, no matter how freeing it seemed. "This isn't right and you know it."

Yang rolled her eyes at the remark. "Let him make that call, Blake." She glanced at the screen of her scroll, looking to see how much time they had before class started. A look of panic glossed her lilac eyes as she shoved the thing in her pocket. "Wolf Boy! Ruby! Class starts in ten!"

Jaune and Ruby tumbled to a halt, their bodies rolling across the grass as the blond Hylian returned to his normal form. Yang almost doubled in laughter at the sight of her teammates freaking out. Clumsy dorks, the both of them. Almost made her wish that she kept her scroll recording so she could tease them about it later. At least she still had the video of them running around together. That would satiate her need to torment for a little while, at least till she passed it around to the rest of their friends. Nora would get a kick out of this.

"Next time we make a bet on hide and seek," Jaune remarked as he rushed towards Yang. Has it really been that long since he lost the bet? How could he lose track of time like this? He was the team leader, he was supposed to be better than this.

"No way! That's a sucker's bet!" Ruby held a pout at the thought of playing that game with Jaune. It would be over in no time flat. There was no way she would have any fun playing hide and seek with a boy that could sniff her out from miles away.

"And tag isn't?" When they had woken up for morning independent training Ruby challenged him to a game of tag. He knew better, he really did. As fast as he was, she so was much more. But no, her smile made it really hard for him to say no. That would be a lie; it made it impossible to say no. Despite his best efforts, he agreed to her challenge and lost. Horribly. Her zipping in front of him was just the icing on the cake.

It was made worse by her infectious, joyous laughter. The little reaper had way too much fun with riding around on his wolf form and it made him have just as much fun. Like he would ever tell her that.

How was he ever going to say no again? That damn smile and giddy laughter made it near impossible to do it in the first place but now, after having so much excitement with it, how could he deny her?

_**01234567890**_

Swords clanged together, metallic banging resonating together, echoing through out the ring. Jaune grunted as he parried the bronze and red xiphos. He moved forward, bringing his foot up before crashing it down towards the outside of Pyrrha's shin. The warrior princess moved her leg, the wind brushing against her guards as she stepped back, resetting her stance as Jaune moved to strike again.

"Go June!" Ruby yelled, cheering on her teammate. Excited stars glistened in her eyes as she watched the two fight. Jaune was fluid but relentless, dodging and parrying in dance like motions before striking back, leaving no opportunity to react properly. Truly unpredictable in his stance but nothing was truly wasted. "You got this!"

"Go Pyrrha! Kick Wolf Boy's butt!" Yang pumped her fist as she watched the red headed girl strike back at Jaune. As relentless as he was, Pyrrha had trained skill, something that she spent years to hone. As talented as the blond boy appeared to be, Pyrrha had him beat.

Jaune took a deep breathe as the Master Sword danced with Milo, singing their song in echoes once more. Despite all his best efforts, Pyrrha would not let him get an edge. The edge of his blade bounced against Akouo as he leaned back, the tip of the bronze xiphos grasping at loose blond hairs. The way the warrior princess made use of a shield made the Hylian really jealous.

"I thought this would have been a little more one sided," Weiss spoke, eyeing the two as they fought. The heiress was expecting a short contest between the two but she was quickly proven wrong. By all accounts, the two in the ring were fighting on equal footing.

"You expected anything less?" Yang asked, her eyes stuck on the sight. "Jaune has been using that blade since he was ten." A smile crossed her lips as the hero faltered slightly at the champion, the tip of her blade licking between the plates of his ancient armor. "That's how you do it, P-Money!"

"Don't let it get to you, Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed, gripping the head rest of the seat in front of her as her partner lashed back, the silver glint of his blade sparkling in the spot lights as it snapped back against the flesh of Pyrrha.

Blake eyed the two members of JYPR, watching as they both cheered on the two remaining members. How could they be so divided on this? There was no confliction in their tone. Weiss didn't help when she spoke, as if she was expecting Jaune to not put up a fight.

"Who do you think is going to win?" Nora questioned, breaking Blake from her thoughts. "My money's on Jaune-Jaune; he's got teeth to bite."

"They seem too even to tell," the Faunus spoke, eyeing the Hyian's team as they continued to cheer. Why was she noticing all of this? Was it because Jaune called her out or was it from her own experiences? Why didn't it bother him?

He could feel it, his blade undulating weight, making it hard to keep a grasp. Narrow escapes from the edge made him aware of what was happening. Pyrrha was playing mind games with him using her Semblance, making it harder for him to keep striking. He needed to find a way to get her off her game, the same way she was getting him off his.

The point of the Master Sword struck downward, the cutting edge grazing Akouo as it dug into the ground. He shifted forward, his elbow striking upwards, banging against the bronze shield. His forearm went parallel as his fingers gripped the edge of her shield, wrenching it to the side.

The champion stumbled, her grip never loosening from Akouo. She let out a pained grunt as the sole of the hero's boot collided with her side, sending her stumbling.

Jaune's grasp left his Master Sword, reaching for the Buzzblade on his back. Now was as good a time as any to find out if it worked or not. With a swing, the large slab of stone with orange Astral markings extended, rotating blue serrated plasma whirled to life, slamming into Akouo with heavy force. Pyrhha stumbled, recoiling at the impact, trying to keep her shield raised in anticipation of another strike. His foot collided against the bronze surface, forcing her to roll backwards.

Jaune was quick to sheath the Buzzblade and to grab his bow, aiming an arrow at Pyrhha. With a deep breath, he quickly pulled the drawstring of blue light and let the arrow fly. Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, reacting quickly to her teammates movements. Her body moved twisted like a top, her shield arm extending back in preparation before snapping back. Akouo flew through the air, splitting the projectile down the head.

Jaune saw stars as he reeled back, a knot forming on his forehead. His vision faded before returning in a disorientating fashion, fuzzy dots surrounded his sight. He knew Pyrrha was already on the move, preparing to strike him down.

It was what he would do.

He needed to react first, not let her get the upper hand like this. Two ethereal golden wolves ran forward, their fangs bared as they growled. Pyrrha narrowed her eyes as they lunged, Akouo slid on her arm with practiced ease before she slammed the shield into one of the phantoms. In a flash of golden wisps, the predator faded, Milo changing shape to a javelin, swatting at the other to meet the same fate as its counterpart.

Shock chilled her bones as fangs tore through the air. Milo raised in defense, Jaws snapped on the shaft, biting into bronze as grey paws pushed down on the javelin in an effort to overpower her.

Milo twisted, forcing Jaune to roll to his side, changing shape. His Buzzblade came to life once more as he swung it up once more, the edge moving towards Pyrrha's midsection, Milo's tip pointing at his throat.

"Match!" Glynda yelled, stopping the two from striking at each other. She strode forward in the arena, watching as Jaune and Pyrrha collected themselves, their weapons sheathed. "Stalemate in favor of Pyrrha Nikos."

"That's how it's done, P-Money!" Yang yelled out, her fist pumping in the air.

"Good job, Wolf Boy!" Ruby cheered, smiling widely at how well Jaune did.

"Miss Nikos, you could have easily got a clean victory if you did not let him distract you. Not every opponent is going to move in accordance with a plan." The champion nodded at the criticism, taking it in stride. She really should have known Jaune distract her like that.

"And Mister Arc, the same goes for you. You're too talented to be letting desperation cloud your judgment. You're a leader, that kind of lapse will not only get you killed but your team as well."

Jaune nodded as he touched the rune on his belt, the ancient cuirass becoming streams of blue light as it faded away. His mind was stuck on the last of Professor Goodwitch's words. Was he really going to kill his team? How could he expect to lead if he allowed something like desperation to cloud his judgment?

His thoughts were so fogged he didn't even realize that he made it to the locker room.

_**01234567890**_

Ruby frowned at the sight. She didn't like how Jaune was holding himself, his shoulders slumped, head bowed in shame. She shook her head as she stood up, running towards the blond leader, determined to help make him feel better.

"Whats his problem?" Weiss asked, looking at the Hylian as he made his way from the arena to the locker room. "He did admirably, he should be proud." Not very many people can say that they went toe to toe with Pyrrha the we way he did, as much as the white haired girl didn't like admitting it.

"He really doesn't take his own failures very well," Pyrrha spoke out, sitting down as she reentered the stands.

"He can't handle losing?" Nora asked. "That's lame!"

Yang shook her head, dismissing that accusation right away. "That's not it at all, he can hand losing just fine. It's what Goodwitch said that hit home for him."

"Next match is Yang Xiao Long and Cardin Winchester. Both students take your places!"

A predatory smirk went on her face as she stood up. "Whelp, mama gets to go knock around a wannabee. It'll be fun!"

"Break his legs!" Nora cheered on.

"Good luck, " Pyrrha said, a smile on her face."

Blake kept her gaze as the door closed behind the reaper and the hero. What kind of weight did he carry for a reaction like that? What happened to him for constructive criticism to take that kind of toll?

_**01234567890**_

Jaune gripped the edges of the sink as he inspected his face. The knot on his head was already going, the minor cuts on his flesh were already wisps, phantoms of what Milo had inflicted. 'You're a leader, that kind of lapse will not only get yourself killed but your team as well.'

Those words cut deep. Was he really cut out for this? The click of the door opening and closing made him aware of the fact that he was no longer alone. "Do you think that the Master Sword made a mistake choosing me? "

"What kind of question is that?" Ruby asked as she stepped towards her leader. "Is it because of what Goodwitch said? I think you had it in the bag! That match was totally yours!"

A dry chuckle escaped his lips as he turned his attention towards his partner, his blue eyes met her silver eyes. "It isn't that, Rubes. I can handle losing. That happens all the time."

Confusion reeked havoc on her face, head tilted in inquiry. "Then what is it?"

"I don't think I can handle the cost of failure."

That statement told her all she needed to know. He was afraid. It was latent in his voice, the way the syllables shook when spoken. It wasn't losing a battle that feared him, it was failing. Goodwitch just pushed the right buttons to make him realize his own shortcomings. The severity of her words struck a cord.

She looked up at his sullen face, his slumped shoulders, his bad posture screaming in fear and depression. She did the only thing that she knew to do at the moment. She broke his personal space and wrapped him in a tight hug, her lithe arms ensnaring his torso, her head burying in his chest, listening to his heartbeat. For such a noodle he had a strong heart. Hesitant arms pulled her closer, her cheeks growing red to spite herself. Why did this have to feel so right?

She shoved that thought down for the moment, telling herself to revisit it later. Right now, her leader needed someone to talk, not a conflicted girl. "You need to stop acting like you're alone on this. You got Pyrrha. You got Yang. You got me. We're all here for you, no matter what. I trust you. Don't you trust us?"

"Of course I trust you guys. You guys are the best team here."

"Then why do you think Fi chose wrong?" She shifted, meeting his gaze, his arms loosening their hold. "Because I think it made the right choice."

"Even if I get desperate?"

She smiled at him. "We all have our faults. You'll work on it. That's why you're the best leader I know."

He smiled back at her as he let her go. Why did she have this effect on him, like everything was going to be okay? Every moment that he spent with her, she made all his insecurities go away.

Then something crossed his mind. "Fi?"

"The Master Sword."

**A/N-I wanted to show more on Jaune's fears of failure. A lot more will be explained but this really is not a harem fic. Now, I am going to be taking a bit of a break from this as I try to write up the next chapter. I have some plans that I want to get write and I want to keep everything consistent at least.**


	6. Immigrant Song

**To Run with the Golden Wolves**

By The Good Life Creator

**Chapter Five-Immigrant Song**

It had been a couple weeks since Francois left with Qrow to investigate the world. His wife wasn't too thrilled to see the Arc Alpha leave with Crocea Mors, telling the man how the family needed him just as much as the world did. Francois didn't want to leave, he truly didn't, but if the King had risen then they were all in danger. He could not just sit idly back anymore. He needed to do all that he could to keep his family safe, even if it meant running around with a drunken crow of a man who brought bad luck with them.

It had been a week since they came across a couple important revelations, the minor Grimm avoided the avoided the creatures like the plague. Neither men could find a reason for it, yet, but the monsters didn't interact with one another. The other was that these new monsters were intelligent. They built camps, hunted with weapons, held formation in a rudimentary way. They were smarter than the tales led him to believe. Still, they had questions that needed answers. Where were these things coming from? Was it simply the remnant of the King's influence or was he stretching his legs? Did he finally have a corporeal form or was he a manifestation once again? How far along was this incarnation if it existed and why did the Grimm avoid his creations?

All questions neither Qrow nor he could answer at the moment. The tales that Francois remembered gave very little solace in that regard as well.

It had only been a few moments ago that he got to bare witness to a sight that he had never seen before; a fully grown man laughing like a little school girl as he watched his scroll. "What's got you gigglin'?"

"Your boy."

An eyebrow raised in interest. That really didn't tell much of a story, it sounded more like a punchline to a bad joke. Francois stayed quiet for a few moments, expecting some form of elaboration but it never came. "Okay, what about the pup?"

"He lost a bet to Ruby today. " That still didn't really explain a whole lot to it. So why was Qrow still laughing like that? "I think it's better just to watch."

So Francois watched the clip. His eyes went wide at the video before it ended. His lids screwed shut as he doubled over, laughing like a mad man, his ribs gripped as he cackled a fully belly laugh. Oh, what sweet delicious irony. The boy used to go on and on how he would never let anyone on his back after catching his sister's begging for a wolf back ride. Look at him now, running through the courtyards with a short girl who liked a scythe. Oh, it was just too much.

Then he went silent. His ears twitched as he tuned into the sounds of the forest, his nose turning to the wind. Qrow picked up quick, drawing his blade as his eyes scanned about. "How many this time?"

"I'd say about five. They're circlin' around right now." His eyes closed as he focused, taking deep breaths as he withdrew Crocea Mors. "They're tryin' to be quiet about it. Seems like they learned a little somethin' from their past attempts. Your turn or mine?"

Qrow shot a side eyed glance at the blond man. "Yours, I like seeing you work." Francois nodded at the remark and let out a howl to signal the hunt. Wolves as dark as ink with glowing blue eyes jumped from his shadow and into the forest, chasing down their prey as screams of agony filtered about.

_**01234567890**_

"So, what's life like as a Hylian?"

Jaune blinked at the question Nora asked after she had regaled them all about her dream while the rest ate lunch in the mess deck, Ren correcting every now and then. He had expected this question, there weren't many of his kind around. He never thought it would be brought up so casually though, giving him little time to think on the spot. "Too human for Menagerie, not human enough for the rest of society."

Several sets of eyes blinked in response. What kind of answer was that? Where were the details? "Wanna expand on that?"

Another thoughtful expression crossed his face. How did he put it in words? He never really had to explain what by Hylian was like before, everyone he knew just understood. Then again, they were his family so they lived it. "Well, remember when Weiss made the crack about us Hylians being a pack of wolves? She wasn't wrong about that. We aren't really a very populace bunch so we seclude ourselves to families and tribes. We live off the land, hunt, fish, farm all for the sake of isolation."

"But why the isolation?"

"Because we're too human for Menagerie, not human enough for the rest of society."

Nora's head slammed on the table after the repeated answer. This was telling her nothing! Why was he being do evasive about it?! She shook her head, trying rid herself of the the question. Answers would come sooner or later. It was time for a different question, one that would get her a response that wouldn't leave her hanging. "Who's turn is it to pick for game night?"

"Mine," Jaune spoke out. "Tonight's poker night, people!"

All eyes looked at him once more at his decoration. "Isn't there a rule against gambling?" Weiss asked.

"It's only gambling if we play for money. We don't have to bet, just a fun night of playing cards."

"That's no fun!" Yang exclaimed, crossing her arms. "We should make embarrassing bets, like Jaune playing fetch with Ruby, or embarrassing photos of Ruby and Jaune to send to dad."

Jaune and Ruby slammed their heads on the table at the thought. It was not the first time that Yang had poked fun at their expense, usually it came in the form of making fun of the two making silly bets or watching cartoons together. Other times it came in the form of Ruby messing around with Jaune's equipment or the small bets that they made. Yang called it cute for them to be together so often, they called it being good friends. So what if they were close?

"Why does every bet you try to make somehow involve Ruby and I do something for your videos?" Jaune asked, a slight blush burning onto his cheeks.

"Isn't my fault you two are dorks in denial."

He knew it was wrong of him to delve deeper into her train of thought. He really did but he could not help himself. "Denial of…" Before he could answer a cry of pain ringing out loud through the mess hall. All eyes turned to the scene, watching as a large, imposing boy with short brown hair pulling harshly on the long rabbit ears of a brown haired girl.

"Ow! That hurts!" the Faunus girl cried in pain, her hands reaching towards the hands of the larger boy. "Please stop!" Her tired voice became pleading as the boy continue to laugh.

"I told you they were real!" His voice held a tone of mirth as he turned his eyes to his team. "What a freak!"

He continued pulling on them, ignoring the girls pleas for him to stop. Blake narrowed her eyes at him, her knuckles turned white as her fingers clenched. No matter how much the world changes around them, people like that boy still came out of the woodwork.

"Atrocious," Pyrrha spoke out, venom in her voice. "I can't stand people like him."

"He isn't the only one," Blake offered, her attention still on the scene. "His team feeds off it."

Jaune sighed as he stood up. "Doesn't seem the room agrees with him on that. Everyone else seems to share our sentiments about it."

"What do you plan on doing?" Yang questioned, knowing that Jaune was up to something.

"My mom used to always tell me that strangers are friends that you haven't met yet."

"I don't think that she meant it the way you do."

The blond Hylian paid no attention as he strode towards the large boy. The boy was slightly taller, his muscles defined underneath his school uniform. "Hey Cardin," Jaune addressed, stepping closer, getting face to face. "I think she asked you to stop."

Cardin laughed, letting go of the Faunus's ears, standing to his full height to face Jaune. "What, this? I'm just playing with Velvet," he commented, glancing towards the girl. Jaune caught her turning her face away from them, tears on her face. "She doesn't mind. Do ya, Velv." His team snickered behind him as he made a gesture.

Jaune's eyes narrowed as he stared down Cardin. "Doesn't seem like that Cardin."

Cardin's back stiffened, his eyes narrowing to meet Jaune's gaze. "Then what does it seem like? Never thought a wolf would help a bunny. I thought you hunted them."

"We share a common sentience, that should be enough."

"Not when you hunt down in packs. You Hylians are nothing more than a pack of wild wolves. You just proved it in combat class."

"Really, that's what you think?"

"It's what we know, Wolf Boy."

Jaune snarled at the remark, looking at the room around him. "So, is that why everyone is looking at you in disgust?" He motioned his hands towards the crowd, emphasizing his point.

"If they are so disgusted then why don't they respond?"

"Many reasons, why don't you ask yourself."

Cardin growled as he pushed past Jaune, his shoulder checking into the Hylians as he walked off with his team. The Hylian boy sighed as he turned his attention to Velvet, his face softening. "You okay?"

She blushed as she tried to hide. "I'll… I'll be fine."

"Do you wanna join us for a card game after classes?"

_**01234567890**_

Jaune cocked his head to the side at the man before energetic man before the class as he spoke in a quick manner. He seemed sporadic, his white shirt half tucked, his yellow tie haphazardly put together, his green hair combed back in a misshapen mess.

"Yes! Yes, prior to the Faunus and Hylian Right Revolution, more importantly known as the Faunus Hylian war," the energetic man gestured to the map on his desk, before going on in what the war was. "A lot of humankind at the time was quite, quite adamant about centralizing the Faunus population to Menagerie and killing off the Hylians." Another sip of his coffee seemed to provide the rush the man needed to carry on with his lesson. "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day! Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus or Hylian heritage?"

Jaune eyed as several hesitant hands went into the air in a hesitant manner, some of the other students looking down in shame. While progress was being made, it didn't seem like it was happening fast enough to some.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence! I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang! Or the Hylian tribes in the northern forests! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?" Weiss smiled as she raised her hand, the answer coming fresh into her mind. "Yes?"

"The battle at Frost Castle."

"Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?"

Cardin smirked as the haphazard man's gaze turned to the rest of the class as he positioned his folded paper on the desk. With the flick of his fingers, the boy sent the piece of paper flying.

"Hey!" Jaune yelled, rubbing the back of his head as he glared at Cardin.

"Mister Arc!" the professor exclaimed, causing Jaune's face to falter. "Thank you for contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?"

Jaune shook his head, looking at the professor with wide eyes. "Uh, yeah, can you repeat the question? You kind of speak way too quick."

"What was the advantage that the Faunus had over General Lagune."

"Yeah, the advantage that the Faunus had were they had Hylian hunters posted about, tracking the movements of the General's Forces. Doesn't hurt that the General got desperate."

"That isn't the whole answer, is it Arc?" Cardin spoke out.

"Very true, Mister Winchester," the professor interjected, stopping Jaune from retorting. "Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject!"

Cardin crossed his arms, a small ghost of a smirk crossing his features. "Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier. The advantage of having a pack of wolves makes it even easier."

Pyrrha shook her head at the young man's response, her green eyes narrowing. "You're not the most open minded individual, are you?"

Cardin seared at the red head, slamming his fist upon his desk. "You got a problem with me?"

"No, I have the other part of the answer," Pyrrha spoke out, ignoring the boys claims. "It's night vision, many of the Faunus are known to have nearly perfect sight in the dark." Cardin growled in response.

"As Jaune said," Blake continued on where Pyrrha left off. "General Lagune got desperate and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus and Hylians in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured. Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."

"Mister Winchester! Please take your seat," the professor commanded, eyeing as the teen took his seat. "Now, I expect you to stay after class for extra reading, Mister Winchester. Now then, let's carry on…" the professor's fast past voice droned on as Cardin glared at Pyrrha, seething in anger.

_**01234567890**_

"How can anyone stand this choker," Jaune questioned as he pulled at the knot of his tie. "It's like it's trying to suffocate my soul."

"Maybe you should learn how to dress for an occasion," Weiss retorted, striding ahead of the group. "Every proper man and woman should know how to dress properly for every occasion."

"Yeah, yeah, I still think it's suffocating my soul." His voice was a low grumble as he sulked. "The sooner I can get this off, the better."

Weiss rolled her eyes at the remark, pressing on. There really was no hope for the Hylian. Yang just smiled as she leaned into her sister, a smirk on her face. "Just another thing that you and Wolf Boy have in common." Ruby's and Jaune's blush made the blondes brawler smirk even bigger. The two dorks just made it too easy.

"So, why did you make a chainsaw?" Nora questioned, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Blue Rose," Ruby spoke out.

"We are not calling it that," Jaune spoke out, doing his best to glare at the little reaper.

"That's his name and he wants his mommy," Ruby retorted, going for the rune on his belt only to have her hand lightly slapped away.

"We're not calling him that," Jaune spoke out as he guarded his belt. Ruby just did her best attempt at a glare of determination. That was his name and Jaune was going to have to accept that. "Why do you keep on renaming my equipment? Like my bow and Master Sword."

"Our equipment." Ruby made extra emphasis on the word our. "I help with maintenance so they're ours. Besides Ferosh and Fi don't mind."

"Does that mean Crescent Rose is ours too?"

"When you can treat her with respect."

Yang stared dumbly at the two as they continued to walk. Ruby did not share well with others. Ever since they were kids, Ruby wouldn't share what she worked for. What kind of magic powers did Jaune have to invoke this side?

"So, why did you create Blue Rose?" Nora reiterated, changing the chainsaw's name, earning a light scowl from Jaune.

"I got the idea after the forest giant," he replied, earning an odd look. "The Master Sword wasn't knocking it down so I thought of something with a bit of weight to it. Asked Ruby if she wanted to help and now I have joint custody with him."

"Your fault for asking for her help," Yang remarked. "She does have a weapon fetish, especially ones that she helped with. Just be lucky she's willing to share"

Jaune rolled his eyes at the statement. The girl had always been one to tease, or at least that was what Ruby had told him. After two weeks of living with the blonde brawler, the Hylian was now a believer. "Anyways, I invited the Faunus girl and her team to poker night, I hope you guys don't mind."

Weiss stiffened a bit as she looked at him. "Why would you do that?"

Jaune shrugged as they neared their dorm rooms. "Seemed like the right thing to do at the moment. We may not be able to do too much about Cardin but we can do a lot for that girl. A boost to her confidence would do the world of good to her. Is that a problem?"

Blake eyed the two. Of course it would be a problem, Weiss was a Schnee with a jaded history with the Faunus. Why would she be friendly with them?

"No, it isn't that, neither of our rooms are large enough to accommodate such a large crowd. Maybe we should move the game elsewhere." That was not the explanation the Faunus in disguise was expecting. Did the white haired heiress truly not care if Jaune added a known Faunus to the game? "Maybe we should play in the library."

_**01234567890**_

"How could someone so bad at lying be so good at poker?" Yang questioned, whispering in Ruby's ear. They had managed to grab a couple tables in the library, pulling them together to accommodate the large group. Velvet had came in, dragging her team, CVFY along for the ride. There was unease at first, the rabbit Faunus noticing Weiss's pensive stare as they entered. She felt judged, as if she wasn't enough. When asked if she knew how to play, all she could do was blush and shake her head.

The surprise came when the Schnee heiress offered her a seat next to her to teach the Faunus on how to play. When asked to why, the response was something unexpected. 'I care about actions more than being. Let her actions speak for her.' Blake gave her partner a side eyed glance, letting the white haired girl's words sink in.

Then Jaune had showed no mercy and proceeded to win almost every hand. "I don't know what you're talking about," the younger sister spoke out as she cradled Blue Rose like a child. Of course the scythe wielder wouldn't know. The Hylian had purposely thrown away hands for the sake of Ruby when they made their childish bets, the most recent being letting Ruby hold the giant chainsaw.

"I call," Jaune spoke out as he placed his cards upon the table, a broad smile plastered on his face. "I got a full house, three tens and two aces." Groans of displeasure rang out as cards were tossed upon the table. Another win.

"You're a cheater," Nora glared as she huffed, crossing her arms. "I bet you got cards up your sleeves."

"He's wearing short sleeves, Nora," Ren spoke out, attempting to placate his lifetime friend. "I doubt that he's playing with an extra deck."

"Than he's doing something!" Her arms wailed about as she kicked back in her chair. "No one is this lucky!"

She was right, technically he was cheating, not that he would ever admit it. Counting cards came easy to him, an easy effort when he paid attention. He had attempted it first with his father, something that he had learned to regret ever attempting. It did make it easier to hide his tactics, so he couldn't complain that much.

"Next time you guys offer poker night, remind me to say no," Coco spoke out, glaring from underneath her sunglasses. "I swear that the blond elf is up to something."

"Elf?" Jaune asked, his brow peaking in curiosity.

"I'm not the one with pointed ears."

"I have never heard that one before." Jaune groaned slightly as he shifted in his seat, pushing himself up from his seat. "I'm going to get something to eat, anyone want anything?"

"Cookies!"

"Pancakes!"

Jaune smiled, shaking his head. "I'll see what I can't do," he said, striding for the exit. The night was going better than he thought it would, Velvet seemed like she was enjoying herself, the confidence that was once lost now blooming into fruition. Sure, it was still lacking but the frame work was there. If she started believing in herself then everything else would fall into place.

"Hey there, Jauney Boy."

"Ah, fuck," Jaune cursed out under his breath, turning his attention to the leader of CRDL, a large smile plastered on the larger boy's face. There was something off about that smile that the Hylian didn't like. "What can I do for you?"

"It's not what you can do for me but what I can do for you." That statement made Jaune's blood boil over, his eyes narrowing at the larger teen. "I heard a rumor running about you, or more accurately how not single person has heard anything about you."

"Oh, wow, didn't think I was that interesting to you," Jaune retorted, staring Cardin down. "What's your point?"

"Oh, and here I thought we could just chat and get to know each other. Like how you never went to a combat school in your life and somehow made it here."

The Hylian looked about the hallways, watching as several students straggled about. "Alright, you want to get to me better, let's talk somewhere a bit private."

"That's more like it, Jauney Boy."

Jaune inwardly sneered as he walked towards the library, Cardin following closely behind with his arms crossed, a victorious smile plastered on his face. The smile dropped as soon as he saw the large group staring at him with pensive gazes. Velvet twitched in her chair, turning her eyes away from the large boy. The tension ran high in the room as eyes narrowed.

"What gave you the bright idea of inviting him," Coco spat out, her voice thick with venom.

"I didn't invite him, he came here to tell us a story." Jaune pulled out a chair, motioning for Cardin to sit. "Want to tell everyone what you told me?"

Cardin glared at the teen, taking the seat offered to him. "Jaune here doesn't belong here. He never went to a combat school."

Weiss stared him down, a board look on her face. "That isn't news."

"What do you mean?"

"What she means is that I got here on a recommendation. Same way Ruby got in two years early just without school," Jaune spoke, taking a seat across from Cardin. "Let's cut through the bull right now. I don't care what you have against me or anyone else here but it ends right now. Are you a betting man?"

Cardin remained silent as Jaune grabbed a deck of cards, shuffling it thoroughly. "I'll take that as a yes, do you know how to play poker?" All the blond got was an angry nod. "Alright, good, we are going to make a bet on a hand. You win, I do whatever the hell you want me to do. No questions asked. I win, you leave everyone in this room alone. Deal?" Jaune outstretched his hand to the boy, waiting for Cardin to except the terms.

"What if I asked you to kill yourself?"

Jaune sighed, wondering how he didn't see that question coming. "Yeah, even if you told me to kill myself."

Cardin seemed pleased with the answer, a dark smile forming on his face as he shook Jaune's hand. He was not going to ask the Hylian to off himself, that would only ruin the amount of fun that he could have with the wolf hanging around. He just wanted to see if the blond was serious about the agreement. The deck was offered to the large teen to be cut before being dealt. Five cards landed in front of the two, signaling the start of the game.

Jaune sighed as he looked at Cardin's face, watching as the boy smirked. The teen had no poker face what so ever, allowing his features to showcase at least a descent hand. Taking a look at his own hand, Jaune almost felt cold. Three face cards and two twos. Nothing to write home about at the moment. At least the face cards were the same suit. Thoughts formed in his head as he tried to think of a way to get a decent hand. The royal flush was a viable route but the odds against that were heavily stacked though the thought of only having a pair of twos did not seem like the better out come.

Cardin threw a couple of cards down on the table, waiting for Jaune to deal out. "You know, this might work out for me. I always needed a study partner."

Jaune shook his head, discarding the three face cards, dealing out three more cards to himself. He tried his best to look dull in an attempt to not let Cardin on to what he had. Almost a straight. All he needed was either an ace or a seven. "You act like you already won, the game just started."

Another card landed in the discard pile, another card was dealt and Cardin lightly sneered as he took a look. Jaune was trying his best to remain calm with his hand. He managed a seven, and by the look of it, Cardin wasn't getting what he wanted. Good, maybe Cardin didn't have a good hand after all. "Want to hear a story, Cardin? In the wild, it isn't uncommon for an apex predator to completely eviscerate their prey, ripping at the soft tissue around the organs to prolong life for the pain. Just imagine what I'll do if you don't honor your end of the bet."

"I call," Cardin growled in slight rage, displaying his cards three tens, an eight, and a king. "Beat that."

"Gladly," Jaune said as he displayed his straight. "I win. Now get out."

Both boys stared each other down, eyes narrowing as they stood up. The larger boy clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He could beat Jaune here and now, scare everyone of the blond's friends in the process. But would they all get involved? Would the end result be worth his life? Slowly unclenching his hands, he glared at the Hylian, the tension between the two becoming electric. "This isn't over, Jauney Boy," Cardin spat, moving towards the exit, his shoulder brushing violently against Jaune's. "Not by a long shot."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Jaune sighed as he slumped down in his chair, running his hands through his hair. "Good, now I can stop pretending to be big and scary." There was no way that Cardin was going to stop trying to get under his skin, but for the moment, he had pushed the larger boy back into a corner. How long would the leader of CRDL honor the bet?

"Did you really threaten to eat him alive?" Velvet asked, a slight twinge of fear in her voice.

"Oh, hell no. I'm not into that kind of thing." Jaune scratched the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face. "I just wanted him to know that I was serious about all of this. Let me know if he tries anything. I really will make sure he holds up his end of the bargain."

The rest of the night went on lighter spirits, the three teams laughing as they shared stories and jokes, everyone outside of JYPR learning just how bad at jokes Yang was. It all went in a spiral as everyone started trying to compete for the lamest pun possible. The people slowly filtered away as the cards were dealt, both JYPR and RWBN telling CVFY that next week was Weiss's turn to pick the game. Jaune smiled as he picked up the cards, the night had went better than he thought.

"All I'm saying is that we should add Dust to your arrows," Ruby said as she pulled a table away, moving it back to where it used to reside. She had decided to stay behind, much to the teasing of Yang about how much time the young reaper had spent with the blond Hylian.

"Why would I need to do that?" Jaune liked to keep things simple. Everything he owned did one thing and one thing only, why would he need to add on to what he had. He had whole heartedly believed in the acronym of KISS, Keep it Simple Stupid. Though, he was beginning to suspect that he really no longer had a choice.

"Because Ferosh is disappointed that you're not doing more with her." There she went, renaming his equipment. The more she did, the more he didn't mind. It was kind of endearing, somehow. "If all you're weapons could talk, they would be screaming to do more with them! You're holding them back."

"And the only way I can do something more with them is allow you to modify them?" Her eyes told him what he needed to know. He really never did have a choice in the matter. "If you decide that I need combo weapons then I will never let you touch Ancient Tech again."

"That's no fair!"

"And you trying to change everything I worked on is?" He crossed his arms, smiling at her faux pout of defeat, finding it cute. The more that he spent time with her, the more it made sense of why even if he could not describe it for the life of him. "Hey, you get the new copy of X-ray and Vav yet?" The smile on her face made it all worth it.

_**01234567890**_

Francois cursed to himself as he pulled his blade from the back of a Bokoblin, its rust colored skin tinged green with blood, the short horns on top its broken, beastial eyes wide in pain. This wasn't good. The Hylian man had allowed one to run away, leading them to a larger camp, a large tower built into a tree resting in the center. Overwhelming the creatures was a bit more difficult than they had anticipated but a combination of minor bad luck and a pack of wolves lunging from the shadows had proven effective. Even if the start was lack luster on their attempt to stealth, a loud ping on Qrow's scroll alerting everyone to their presence. All it did was make Francois glad that he didn't have a scroll in the first place. All they did was bring trouble.

The problem was with where the camp was located, resting off a large merchant road just outside a small village. "They're gettin' smarter," Francois spoke, sheathing Crocea Mors. Hands dug into his pocket, pulling out a cigarette and lighter. His thumb flicked over the wheel, a small flame appearing as he lit the tobacco. "This a lot more organized than what we seen earlier."

"Do you think the King has risen yet?"

A sharp inhale and steady stream of toxic smoke exhaling from his lungs gave off all of the Hylian's thoughts. "He's tryin', this is more like his mornin' stretches. I don't think it matter much on if we can stop it but how can we prepare for it. What kind of form is he gonna take now."

"Why do you think they're holding up like this?"

That was the question that he didn't know that answer to. "I dunno. We are gonna have to find out. How much involvement do you think she has in all of this?"

"Probably too much."

**A/N-Wow, this chapter was a lot harder than I had originally planned for. I have no problem thinking of what I want to do but doing it in a believable way kind of made it a bit harder. I wanted to do something about the Bystander Effect, and show that Weiss cares more about actions than everything else. It all just came out a bit harder than I thought. All in all, I am not entirely happy with this chapter.**

**I do have another story that I am working on as well, called the Journal of Jaune Arc and it is a lot more fun than I thought it would be. The way I want to set it up is for a third person telling so epic length is not gonna be that story.**

**Anyways, two things. I am taking one shot ideas. If you have any thoughts on what you think I should do, please feel free to tell me. It doesn't even have to be in RWBY, it could be any Fandom. I do hold the power of saying no if I do not think I can do it, if I do not know the particular franchise, or if I do not like the idea. The second one is what is your favorite game? Aside from Wind Waker, mine isn't even a Legend of Zelda title. It's Legend of Dragoon, a beautifully broken JRPG that isn't balanced what so ever. It is either your best friend or it completely hates you. You first realize this at the end of the first disc when you go against a crazy emperor who will proceed to steamroll you in five turns or less while you are powerless to stop it.**


	7. Made of Tears

**To Run With Golden Wolves**

By The Good Life Creator 678

**Chapter Six-Made of Tears**

The bar was something of an old tired cliché to the duo, a hole in the wall establishment out on the edge of a small town, constructed of aged wood, the smell of stale cigarettes and cheap alcohol wafted out from the open doors. All of it was completed with the rusted sign reading Ends of the World, a fitting name for the edge of nowhere and neither men would have it any other way.

"Those things are going to kill you one day," Qrow said as he walked through the doorway, motioning towards the lit cigarette clenched in Francois's teeth, the lit ember emitting whisps of acrid smoke as he followed behind the dark haired man.

"That gotta be the least of my troubles right now," The Arc Alpha retorted, stamping out the ember before walking past the entry way. Two months had gone and went since the two had left find out what the return of the King entailed. What they had found left many more questions than they had answered. The creatures of Grimm and the monsters that marked the return had steered clear of each other for the most part, both men speculating either a mutual fear or some strange form of comradery. Neither option seemed like a particularly good thing. The King's creatures also seemed to be searching for something that they could not decipher, guarding their trails to multiple dig sites across the world with several camps. Their organization was becoming more and more fluid, much like a small army, leaving a frightening inquiry. Has the King returned and took command or was there another one taking his stead for the moment.

They have, however, been able to track the Witch's movements. She had started making several movements on the Seasons, secrets that she should not have been able to know. The issue became evident when they could not figure out to what end her plans delved in, how far her roots dug in. Just how involved was she with the King?

"I got first and then you got second?" Francois questioned, placing several lien notes on the bar. He was way too sober for all the questions swimming in his head. He could finally understand in perfect clarity why his friend had taken up to drinking in excess.

"Make it a double."

Francois nodded as he called over the bartender, placing his order for the drinks. A thought crossed his mind as he thought of ways to brighten his day. "Your niece still torturin' my pup?" Qrow eyed the man, an eyebrow peaked in inquiry as Francois pulled out his wallet, displaying several aged photos. The plan became obvious and all he could do was laugh. The Arcs, or at least Francois, would get along famously with Yang.

_**01234567890**_

Blood pooled along the city streets in thick dark crimson puddles. Their eyes were dead, dull and lifeless as they stared back at him in terror. Their mouths were stained in strands of scarlet, held open in silent pained agony of their final moments. The phantom stood before him, glowing ethereal skin of dark red ink mixed and melded with stones of black and gold. The phantoms eyes glowed blue with sorrow and anger.

"None of this could have been avoided, young Hero," the phantom spoke, shifting his gaze towards the hero. "We are mouthing more than destined puppets, playing things for gods long dead. But I aim to break that cycle, by shattering your soul and spreading your ashes to the winds."

A blade of crimson glowed and raised, pointing towards the hero. Time slowed as the hero raised his own sword, the edge glowing white, matching the phantoms movements. The two met in a blur, their swords resonating a cry as they clambered together. Muscles twitched and flexed as the two swung their swords, edges licking at flesh.

In a flash, the phantoms heel crashed on the hero's thigh, bringing the hero to his knees. Clawed fingers needled their way through flesh and bone, tearing through muscles with ease before gripping at his heart. Cries of pain and panic shot through the hero's nerves as his vision faded to black. "I will shatter your soul and I will spread your ashes to the winds, young Hero." The grip tightened as the phantom ripped the hand from his chest. "And for that, I am sorry."

Jaune almost screamed in pain as he shot up from his slumber, sweat dripping freely from his skin. The faces of dead, his team, RWBN, family, and childhood friends, all of them crumpled before him, littering the streets with gore. The silent screams rang through his mind, causing a nauseating headache. He could have saved them from the phantom that had slaughtered them all. He cursed the Hylians for propping him up as the hero of their age, calling him the Hero of Golden Wolves. He cursed the sword for choosing him to be a champion against evil without telling him what dangers that he had to face. She spoke in tales of old, allowing him the tools for success, but what good were they when he did not know how to use them in the first place? He cursed himself for not being strong enough. Even in a dream, he failed all that he loved by his lack of knowledge.

But what kind of dream was that? Or was it a dream in the first place? Was it some form of precognition? Who was the phantom and why was there the air familiarity wrapped around it?

Jaune sighed as he looked at the clock beside his bed. Zero two thirty glowed back at him in a bold glowing green, a sigh of discomfort escaping his lips. It was too early for this, his eyes were still heavy with sleep. He would deal with these thoughts when it was actually a proper time to actually be awake, when the sun was actually past the horizon and not a distant thought.

_**01234567890**_

It took all of one week since the start of Beacon for Yang to figure out that Jaune was lying when he said he didn't own a Pumpkin Pete onsie when she caught him lounging about in it, a large bowl of cereal in his hands as a cartoon of trolls and a glowing sword of daylight played on his scroll. The icing on the cake was that he had somehow drug Ruby into watching cartoons with him, a large bag of cookies and strawberries in her lap. The blonde laughed hysterically at first, taking as many pictures of the two blushing madly as she possibly could while poking fun at the duo. It was at that moment that Yang had decided to herself that the two were simply too cute together not to be more than just friends. They just gave way too much material together in her mind. The happy look her younger sister gave with Jane only justified her new cause.

The plan the blonde brawler had concocted was simple in nature, torture the two till they realized what everyone else did. Her crowning achievement was getting Pyrrha involved on the whole thing. It was glorious too, the red faces of her Fearless Leader and Little Reaper made it just too perfect.

It took two weeks since her start at Beacon for Yang to discover that Jaune wore that lousy excuse for sleepwear every single Saturday as some sort of dorky ritual. Another idea flourished in her mind that day as he watched cartoons on his scroll with the same large bowl of Pumpkin Pete. She was going to burn the damn thing till it resembled nothing more than a piece of singed fabric. Pyrrha, bless her heart, had crushed that though, going on about how much of a over reaction that was. Plan B of getting Jaune to never wore the damned thing formed in an instant, something that would only push the two dorks closer together.

Jaune had come to a very important realization on the third week of arriving to Beacon. Apparently his weekly ritual of ending the week in comfort just so happened to coincide with the weekly release of Ruby's favorite magazine, Weapons Weekly. It was endearing, if a bit unexpected, at first. Bright silver eyes peeked at him at the unholy hour of zero six forty-five as she poked him awake, already dressed and ready to go to Vale and hit the dust shop. Even though he didn't end up spending his day in his favorite onesie, spending the most of the day Vale with the hyperactive weapons expert was not a bad way to end the week either.

Now, almost two months later, he wondered as to why he didn't see this new ritual coming as silver eyes peeked at him once again, fingers already poking at his cheeks. "Whaaa," he groaned as he rolled over, facing the clock once more that morning. Zero six forty-five blinked at him in a taunting fashion of glowing green. "Ruby, it's way too early for this. Can't we just go later? Like when the sun's up?"

His protests fell on deaf ears as she hurled his clothes at him, his hoodie smacking his face. "Nope! From Dust Till Dawn opens up in an hour and I want to be the first in line!" Even though her voice was a mere whisper of her normal tone, the excitement it carried was overflowing. Taking a look at her frame, he could tell that she was practically buzzing in her skin more than she normally did on Saturdays.

How did he get roped into this when he was the leader? Oh, yeah, Ruby told him it was his duty as leader to make sure his team was taken care of and would not take no for an answer.

"Alright, just give me five-" Before he could even attempt to finish the sentence, rose petals littered the floor, the door swinging open in her wake, soft yellow light flooding into the room. Why was she so excited on a Saturday morning? She was always excited about going to the Dust shop but there was something more about today that he couldn't place his finger on.

Slipping into his clothes, he put that train of thought to the back of his mind. Answers would come out soon enough, he couldn't leave her waiting. Last time he did that, she decided to wake him back up by tickling his feet. Lessons were learned that day.

_**01234567890**_

"What kind of Dust do you think we should use?" Ruby inquired as she looked at the raw Dust powder bins, looking over the labels. "I was thinking elemental Dust, like lightning, ice, fire, maybe explosives if we have enough lien from your swear jar."

"What?" Nothing Jaune owned used Dust in any way shape or form. Simplicity was his name! Or at least that was something he tried.

"For our arrows, silly!" There she went again, laying claims to his equipment. Didn't matter that she was a lousy shot with a bow, she still laid claims to it since she worked on maintenance. Still, he couldn't complain, he could not aim a rifle to save his life either and yet she let him attempt Crescent Rose every now and then. "I was thinking that we could talk to Weiss about how she uses her revolving Dust rapier and apply it to your quiver since someone won't own a combo weapon."

"I like simplicity, sue me," he barked back as he eyed the raw Dust powder. At least she had let go to the combo weapons idea. Maybe adding a bit of Dust wouldn't be that bad after all. The possibilities of what he could imbue on them were endless after all. Then his mind went back in time a few seconds. "Wait a minute, what the hell do you mean by my swear jar?"

The moment the words left his mouth, a large jar full of multiple lien notes shook violently in his face, the change at the bottom rattling against the glass edge. It all came flooding back to him, apparently he was the only contributor to the jar that Ruby had set up in an attempt to keep the language clean. Yang had paid several notes at first before wising up, learning how relentless the silver eyed girl was with the new team rule. Jaune, however, never did and he had always paid into the jar for what he felt like every other word. "One of these days, you're going to put a lien in," he grumbled as a coin clanked against the bottom.

Ruby giggled to herself as she walked to the counter, finding the comment doubtful. She always did enjoy her weekly outings to Vale with Jaune, something that she would have to thank her sister for, even if it was used for teasing ammunition. It wasn't Ruby's fault that her closest friend at Beacon happened to be male, that they always had fun together, and that she would blush from time to time around him. Though, the idea of being more had floated by in her head space on more occasions than she could count.

Maybe he thought the same fleeting thoughts just as frequently as she did. Taking a guilty peek at his frame she thought further on the boy with whipcord muscles as he eyed the Dust and subsequent weapons with a curious gaze, digits fumbling over a rifle as he attempted to pull back on the charging bolt in a failed attempt to dry fire. She laughed at the sight, finding it funny. Such a dorky noodle who needed real help on how to handle a rifle but maybe one that she didn't mind spending more time with.

"Would that be all, miss?" The store clerk asked, brining reality crashing down around her. A large grin split across her face as she eyed the Dust, parts, and magazine on the counter in front of her. Thoughts of the blond spending time with her as they built new weapons and upgraded Crescent Rose brought joy to her heart.

Jaune smiled softly as she paid for the goods they had picked out. Seeing her happy brought a skip to his own heart, his hands shook slightly with pleasant anxiety. No matter how much time had passed, how often he hung out with the scythe wielder, she still had the same euphoric effect on his psyche. The his heart slammed against his chest as her features turned, pale skin became green, blood trailed out of the corners of her mouth as she silently screamed at him. The more he focused, the more the image became fuzzy before fading out of existence, being replaced by her happy expression as she approached him. With a shove, the bags of their new treasures were placed into his hands as she all but dragged him out of the store, talking about their next destination, already having a plan for their day.

He would never let that happen to her, no one would wipe that smile from her face as long as he lived. No one will kill his team, his friends, his comrades and extended family. But the thought still lingered in his mind. _'Am I enough to stop it?'_

_**01234567890**_

Yang could not stop laughing as she stared at her scroll. She knew the world of huntsmen and huntresses was a small one but she didn't know how small it really was. Apparently her uncle was traveling along with someone that was close enough to get her the dirt she so craved, Jaune's father. The reasons of why didn't matter, her uncle keeping hush, hush about the matter but she had woken up to gold. There, on her screen was a grainy shot of an aged photo of a large family, seven sisters crowding around a young blond boy with a disgruntled look on his face, arms crossed in a pout, the bunny necklace that he worse shining off the flash of the camera, messy blond hair pulled into pigtails tied together with bright pink ribbons. This was gold! Now, how to use this to her advantage?

A loud cadence of a knock brought her out of the dubious plans she was creating. A grumble escaped her lips as she looked underneath her bed, finding Pyrrha already gone, most likely training again. The young champion was a powerhouse when it came to that, never letting up. Didn't she know that the body needed rest every once in a while. Another knock sounded against the door, forcing Yang to roll out of her bed. Why did she have to be the one to get the door? "Hold on, I'm coming, I'm coming."

Hands gripped the knob and with a twist she pulled it open, finding dark hair and a bow. "Whats up, Blake?"

Amber eyes locked with lilac as the Faunus in disguise began to talk. "Is Jaune awake? I need to talk to him."

Yang snorted, taking a look at the clock that Jaune had used. Ten blinked at her in the same fashion it did everyone else. Of course he was awake, but the time he would be back was an entirely different issue. The blond Hylian and the young Reaper did tend to make a day out of their weekly excursion to Vale. She just wished that she could take pictures. Still, why did the silent ninja with amber eyes want to speak with Wolf Boy anyways? "He ain't here right now. Ruby made off with him to go to Vale for a magazine."

"Oh." Blake's voice was lost in thought as she tried to turn around, a distraught look twinkling in her eyes. Of course Jaune was with Ruby, the two spent a lot of time together; why should today be any different? "When you see him, tell him I would like to talk to him."

"Jealous?"

That was too strong of a word to describe what the Faunus was feeling. Ever since the poker game, Blake had been trying to figure out the meaning behind Weiss's words. CVFY became more and more of a presence in their weekly games, every single one Velvet had no knowledge of playing and every single time Weiss seemed to be more than content to be helping the young rabbit Faunus. When questioned the Schnee girl would always reply that Velvet needed a proper touch to learn the game. However, when the topic of the White Fang came up, white hair bristled in anger at the group, coupling it with words of disdain for their actions.

In silent desperation, Blake had been tormenting herself on how to go about telling her team about her true past. If she held out any longer then Jaune's words of it coming out in the worst way possible would come true. But with how much Weiss valued actions over physicality, what kind of action would telling the truth now speak for the Faunus? How would they speak of her when she revealed the truth behind her past?

Would her team accept her?

So, she did what she thought was the best idea in the moment, go find the blonde Hylian who outed her from the beginning and try to figure out how to tell her team. The question of whether or not she was jealous of Ruby was irrelevant, as long as they were happy together. What she needed now was someone to confide in, nothing more, nothing less.

"Hardly. I just need to talk to him about something personal. Besides, isn't it a little weird for you to keep trying to force those together? Didn't you tell him that if he did something you didn't like you'd have new wolf skin boots?"

Yang propped her arm on the door, resting her weight against it. If the black haired girl wasn't jealous, then what was it? Maybe the two were just old friends? Sounded extremely doubtful but the most likely if it wasn't jealousy. Didn't matter at the moment, her motives were being called into question! "Him not asking her out is something I don't like. He makes Ruby happy, happier than I have seen her since she figured out how to use Dust on Crescent Rose. She wouldn't shut up about him to my dad and uncle for weeks. That, and it gives me an excuse to torment and black mail the hell out of the both of them. Always wanted a brother to do that to."

Blake rolled her eyes at the comment. Of course that was the blonde's train of thought. The happiness was just a byproduct of her real aim. "I even got his dad involved." Cat-like eyes blinked in response. Team JYPR was that close already? Close enough to exchange dirt on each other with family members? Then again, it could possibly just be a Yang thing, the blonde seemed to be the out going type after all.

With the shake of her head the Faunus made her leave. "Can you tell Jaune that I stopped by?" she asked over her shoulder before making her way to the library.

The door clicked close, Yang lost in thought. While Blake denied being envious of Ruby, the blonde wasn't so sure. Why else would the black haired girl be so sad that the Hero spent time with the Reaper? Grumbling, Yang went back to her scroll, trying to find something to uplift her mood. The thought of how to put her plans into overdrive ran through her mind in loud laps.

_**01234567890**_

The sun still hung high above Vale as Ruby and Jaune ate their lunch outside a Café, sitting on rod iron chairs as they enjoyed their lunch, or at least Ruby did. The more she eyed Jaune though, the more standoffish he seemed, his eyes had a vacant look that would gloss over them every now and then. Taking a look at the blond, she found him poking at his food, another vacant stare in his eyes.

With a grumble she narrowed her eyes. She was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" Jaune responded, confusion lighting his azure eyes. He was not expecting that kind of question. Sure, he might have been off from time to time through out the day but he wasn't acting that out of character, was he? "Nothing, I promise."

Ruby frowned at the fake smile he gave off. Yang was right, he had to be one of the worst liars ever. "You lie!" Her finger went up in accusatory fashion as she leaned back in her chair. "You've been acting not okay all day! Something is bothering you. What's wrong? Don't you trust me?"

Jaune sighed as his eyes met hers. There she went again, thrusting herself into his problems, using the guise of trust. What kind of question was that? Of course he trusted her, he trusted her with his very life. That was never an issue with him. The problem was would he be able to save her life if it came ever down to it? Would the dream he had early this morning come true and would he lose everything he ever loved?

How could he even possibly tell her what was truly bothering him? What would even be her reactions to his dream? Just dip your toe in, test the waters. "I had a nightmare and all of you were dead and it was my fault." Or cannonball right in and cause as big of a splash as possible. "I wasn't enough and it got you killed by a phantom."

Ruby nodded at the right moments, listening as he went on about the why of how he was acting strange. "You're still on that? Jaune, look at me, you aren't alone, that isn't going to happen. We won't let it happen. You need to stop acting like you're all alone because of a stupid legend. What is it that you're always telling us?"

"That I am leader in name and name alone?"

She scoffed at the remark. Of course he would come up with a dorky response like that, completely dodging the question. "No, not that. You always tell us that lone wolves lead short lives! So stop being a lone wolf. It isn't a good look for you."

Jaune shook his head as he bit into his food. "No fair, using my words against me. That's a cheap tactic."

A goofy smile was plastered on his face, making her grin back. While she could tell that he was not over it completely, she had plans to get his mind off it, if only for a minute. Petite hands gripped his as she drug him to his feet, pulling him along the sidewalk. "Come on, I have the perfect remedy for your bad mood."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"Range day!"

_**01234567890**_

Blake's hands glossed over the pages of the book she had recently checked out, her fingers skimmed through the old pages. It was an odd suggestion that the Hylian had made for her about a week earlier, something that she was sure he really didn't enjoy at all. She wondered why he would even suggest her reading a play in the first place as he spoke of a phrase that would bring her some type of solace. Her eyes widened as the phrase he spoke of wrapped itself in her mind and all of it made sense. The context of it didn't matter, the Faunus finding it a tad too egotistical in the play, but the message was loud and clear when she applied it to her life. The why of his recommendation made complete sense now.

_'To yourself be true, and to hell with the rest of the world.'_

She shook her head as she thought about it. Of course the Hylian lived this line to the t. He didn't really care what many others thought of him. But she was different, hiding in the shadows from persecution. How could she come out to her team now? After hiding for two months, what would the reaction be to the truth? Still, the words of the mountain troll rang through her head.

Maybe now was the time to face the music.

_**01234567890**_

"Why do we have to go here?" Ruby whined as the bell chimed against the door. Stacks of books formed isles, leading up to the counter of Tukson's Book Trade. They had spent most of the day wondering around Vale, going from place to place. Her favorite place so far, aside from the Dust shop, was the shooting range. Jaune was now taking an active approach to teaching her how to use a bow and arrow and she was finally getting better! No more wild arrows flying into everything but the target for this Reaper! While she still didn't have the speed or accuracy that Jaune did with it, she was now more confident that she would get there. Now if only she could get her partner to actually aim a rifle properly while remembering to check if it's clear and safe. How could someone remember Treat Never Keep Keep yet completely forget to do the first thing when presented with a proper weapon such as Crescent Rose?

Still, the last stop before going to the bullhead launch was something of Jaune's idea, stating that there was something here waiting for him. "It's so booorrring here."

"Hey, not everything I read needs pictures," Jaune responded as he walked to the counter. "Besides, you might like this one. It's a crime noir story with my second favorite line ever."

"What line is that?"

"Inspector, inspector, the monster detector. Does your friend know who you really are, does he know the things you've done?" Jaune's voice lowered a couple octaves as he attempted a scary voice, failing miserably. Ruby laughed slightly at his antics, wondering the context of where that line came from. "I left my copy at home and Tukson said that he has one so I thought why not just pick it up here."

As Jaune picked up his book, thanking the shop keep for staying open for them as they left, Ruby had a fleeting question. "If that's your second favorite, what's your favorite?" All she could hear was Jaune mutter something unintelligible, her ears not quite picking up what he said. "What was that, Wolf Boy?"

"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command…" The howl of laughter and the ridicule of how much of a dork he was made him regret ever saying it in the first place. "Hey, I like the show, sue me. I'm also fairly certain that a certain someone on my team has been binging it without me and already started on the tie in."

Silver eyes went wide as she stopped her laughter. "I would never!"

"Didn't say it was you, but that tone makes me think your lying." A blush spread on her cheeks as she tried to figure out a way to steer the conversation. Luck was on her side as he brought up a different topic. "Hey, the Moon Festival is coming up next month, wanna go?"

Moon Festival? Was it like the Vytal Festival? She needed answers! "What's it like?"

"Oh, it's just a Hylian thing we do once a year to celebrate the moon so it doesn't fall on us." Was that his lame attempt at a joke? Or was he serious? "It's held just out of Vale, there's food, dancing, culture, fighting, I kinda have to go to represent the Arcs and was wondering if you want to come too."

The dancing aspect was something she didn't like. She was not a fancy pantsy dancy kind of girl but Jaune did not seem like the type of guy to enjoy fancy dress either. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe she could enjoy it with him, even if she had to dance. At least there was fighting involved so she said the only thing she could at the moment, a bright cheery smile on her lips. "Yes, that sounds awesome!" A nightmare flashed before her eyes as thought more about it. What was Yang going to say about this?

_**01234567890**_

Blake stood before her team, her back held straight as she eyed her team. All eyes were on her as she shifted in her skin, feeling smaller than she ever had before. All scenarios ran through her mind, none of them were good. With a deep breath, she began to speak. "Ren, Nora, Weiss, I have to tell you something." Time to face the music and stop running from her problems.

**A/N-I would like to give a huge shot out for Z-END99. He was a large help throughout a major part of this story, just bouncing around ideas. I recommend looking him up.**

**The more I write out this story, the more I realize that I get the most out of writing this when listening to classic rock, or more specifically, hair and glam metal. Seriously, like three of these chapters are named after Zeplin tracks. Funny fact about Francois, he wasn't originally supposed to be as integral as he is now, I unwittingly created a OC that is important. I like writing him though, he's fun.**

**I am glad that many of you liked last chapter, and want more RWBN and you guys will, next chapter is probably going to be based around them significantly.**

**I also wanted to have Blake tell everyone without being forced to. I may not be going down the best route but I want to build tension before strengthening the bond between her and Weiss. Its part of the reason why I had Weiss act like she did last chapter was to give Blake a better reason to actually come forward. There is going to be a lot of dealing with it next time.**

**For the observant, this is a re-upload of sort. I went through it and polished it a bit. I caught way too many errors and stuff so that's how this was made. The weapons thing is also something in real life, Clear and Safe is nothing chambered, no magazine, safety on. Treat Never Keep Keep is Treat every weapon as if it is loaded, Never aim at anything you do not intend to shoot, Keep weapon on safe until ready to shoot, and Keep your finger off the trigger till you're ready to shoot.**

**Anyways, quick question for you all, what would you like to see. There are going to be more RWBN encounters, especially with what I have planned but what else would you like? Could be small, major, whatever. I do have final say but I wanna know. Anyways read and review and I will see you guys and gals next time.**


	8. Gotta Get it Right

**To Run With Golden Wolves**

By The Good Life Creator 678

**Chapter Seven-Gotta Get it Right**

"So, what's so special about this place?" Francois questioned, his eyes glancing about the bar and its patrons, another round of whiskey being poured by the bartender of impressive size. The Arc Alpha knew that Qrow had favorites when it came to the hands that poured his drinks but the fact that they had passed up four bars to get to the Ends of the World had peaked Francois's curiosity in the matter. Staying in town and waiting for the elusive owner had only served to further drive the blond's curiosity to the point of manic obsession.

"The owners and old friend of mine, thought it would be nice to stop by and say hello."

Francois grumbled a few swears incoherently as he pressed the glass of whiskey to his lips, burning liquor scorched his throat as he gulped it down. Bull, Qrow never did just stop by to say hi without any meaning to it. Everything the carrion man did happened to have a sense of purpose, some type of machinations behind them. "I call bull."

The dark haired man sighed in response as his body shifted in his stool to face the alpha. "Look, we hit a brick wall on this. You know it, I know it. I just thought it would be a good idea to get some outside help to find some answers."

"And you planned on tellin' me when?"

"Now?"

Francois mumbled incoherently a bit more as he took another swig of his whiskey. As much as the man hated to admit it, the scythe wielder had a point, they were at a complete loss on where to go for answers or where they creatures of the king were coming from. Some outside help in locating the source or who is pulling the strings just might give the two of them the edge that they needed.

Large hands wrapped in dark skin placed themselves on their shoulders, both men going stiff at the new weight. "He'll see you now." The voice was a deep baritone, the cadence carrying an air of frightening authority.

Vibrant blue eyes met pale red in a narrow gaze. "If I get killed, I'm hauntin' yer ass."

_**01234567890**_

The mace swung through the air in a wide horizontal Arc, the wind passing through its large flanges and over the red Dust stone in the center. Jaune leaned back, the edge of the Executioner missing the bridge of his nose, His feet kicked off the ground as it swung back at his midsection, the air being displaced and whipping across his abdomen.

"Hold still!" Cardin roared as he took an overhead swing, his muscles tensing and releasing as he stepped forward into the movement in attempt to add strength into his blow.

The flat of the Master pushed the mace to the side, gliding across the shaft before licking at Cardin's breastplate with a resounding smack. Clumsy feet stumbled as Cardin reeled back, the Executioner coming back in both hands as he blocked the Master Sword's next strike. White silver collided with darkened steel with a clang as Jaune stepped forward, growling as his blade locked in place.

"Not going to change, Wolf Boy?" Cardin spat as he pushed on his mace, proving to Jaune that he was physically stronger.

Jaune grunted as he felt the mace push against his broad sword, his muscles struggling to keep the larger boy at bay. His elbow came up, slamming into Cardin's face as he pushed further. The larger boy stumbled once more as the Hylian moved once again, his blade poised to strike. The edge lapped against exposed flesh of Cardin's thigh as Jaune maneuvered himself behind Cardin. The toe of his boot crashed against the inside of Cardin's knee, causing the large teen to buckle and kneel. Jaune's hand gripped his head, Master Sword hovering above Cardin's neck.

The electronic buzzer rang out through the ring, signaling the end of the fight. "Match!" Glynda's voice roared out. Cardin glared at Jaune, the flanges of his Executioner retracted into the shaft, leaving the Dust crystal exposed. Jaune took a pensive gaze at the teen, streams of blue light retracting his cuirass to the rune on his belt, the Master Sword finding her sheath. "Most fights outside these halls will not be a tournament styled encounter. As Mister Arc has demonstrated, you should always aim to finish the fight, using every advantage possible." Jaune shivered under Cardin's glare, the feeling of wrath washing over the arena. "And as Mister Winchester had demonstrated, strength will not always overcome your opponent. Not every tactic is tried and true."

Cardin's hands curled into fists as Goodwitch's words over him. He had beaten Jaune on a couple occasions before, using combat class and excuse to bypass the terms of their bet and taking out his frustration by outclassing the blond with superior strength. The young Hylian was adaptive though, quickly learning how the mace wielder moved, using over extended swings and joint control like a deadly weapon.

"That being said, remember that the Vytal Festival is only a few months away," the professor continued. Sapphire eyes shifted to the stands as he watched his team buzz with excitement at the mention of the event. What was the Vytal Festival again? "It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving to Vale in anticipation. Keep practicing, for those of you who choose to compete in the combat tournament will not only be representing yourselves but the whole of Beacon and Vale." Now that was a way to lay the pressure on thick.

Still, what was so important about the Vytal Festival?

_**01234567890**_

"You really don't know?" Pyrrha inquired as they sat down for lunch.

"Not a singe clue," Jaune replied, placing his plate down on the table. Why was this such a big deal? All he asked was why was the Vytal Festival so important. He didn't expect the odd looks from his team and anyone who happened to eavesdrop.

"It's only one of the most important things to happen every two years!" Yang exploded, her arms flailing out. "Everyone from around the world will be here! The stories, the adventures-"

"The weapons!" Silver eyes lit with excitement at the thought of what all the combatants would bring to the table. All the unique pieces of equipment that could only come from different parts of Remnant. "We get to show off all the weapons we created!"

"That explains why you're so excited but not why it's so important," Jaune pointed out as he cut into his steak.

"I'm sure you'll get it, Jaune." Pyrrha's hand patted on his shoulder blades in what she thought was a reassuring manner.

"You mean like how I 'got' why you're so famous?" The blond Hylian still hadn't the slightest idea on how Pyrrha had gotten the title of Invincible Girl or how many times she won the Minstrel Tournament. Pyrrha thought about telling him a few times just to alleviate his curiosity but the prospect of having at least someone who didn't know her past victories and treat her normally was too enticing.

Yang took a manic grin as she looked towards Ruby and Jaune as they ate their food. Their skin turned to goose flesh as their eyes widened slightly. "Soooo, Jaune," the blonde girl spoke, her voice carrying the sickening sweet tone she liked to use when teasing the two of them. "A little birdie told me that you plan on taking my sister on a date."

"Oh? Since when?" He really didn't like the tone of her voice.

The dubious look in her lilac eyes sent shivers down his spine. "Oh, so you didn't ask her to go to this 'Moon Festival'?"

"Oh, that?" His bones shook as he scratched the back of his head, a sheepish smile adorning his face as blood burnt his cheeks. "Well, I kinda have to go. Family things and stuff like that… Thought she might like to go with?" The nervousness laid thick in his voice, causing Yang to laugh hard. His cheeks burnt with the blush that was forming. Great, the last thing that he needed to happen was Yang to take everything the wrong way. Ruby and him were just really good friends, so what if they spent a lot of time alone together? Still, the thought of being something more with the Reaper lingered in the back of his mind. Maybe it would not be such a bad thing after all.

No, those were not the thoughts that he needed to be having right now. His eyes shifted over the table, looking for a distraction. Something, anything to stop the blonde brawler from looking deeper into things. "Hey, where's the others?"

"Come to think of it, the have been acting a bit off as of late," Pyrrha spoke, recounting the past few days. Blake and Weis had been doing their best to avoid one another, the heiress saying very little to no words to the black haired girl. Ren and Nora had been trying their best to act as if nothing was wrong with RWBN but they were failing miserably, a form of mild disappointment washing over their forms as the occupied the same space with the rest of their team. There was a tension that hung thick between them, a dramatic shift in their dynamic and none of it was for the better.

"Should we go talk to them?" Ruby asked, a glint of sadness in her eyes. She never did like any of her friends being at odds with one another. RWBN not being around just felt off to her. "I feel like we should go talk to them."

"I really don't think that us getting involved would be the best idea," Jaune pointed out. "I know it sucks right now but I'm sure that they'll bounce back sooner or later. Let's let nature take its course."

"Either that or we could just lock 'em in a room together. That'll get them to patch things up." Yang on received scrupulous stares in response. "What? It's a good plan!"

"I don't think us locking them up like that would be the best course of action, it might only make things worse between them." Pyrrha's face contorted into that of thought as she tried to figure out on how to proceed. "I think that we should try talking to them tomorrow though if nothing changes. See if they will open up to us about what's wrong."

_**01234567890**_

Blake sat upon the rooftop of Bacon, a million thoughts of how it ended like this running through her mind. Amber eyes, red with tears, watched the horizon painted in vibrant indigos and violets as the sun descended beyond the peak as fantasies of running away played out in her head. Why did she even entertain what Jaune had said? How could he even possibly know how it was like to be a Faunus? While it was true that both races had lived lives in persecution, the type was different between the two. While the Faunus were forced into the island of Menagerie like caged animals, the Hylians were hunted like wild beasts. While the Faunus tried to integrate themselves into daily society, suffering the injustices of being different while struggling for equality, the Hylians secluded themselves into the forests, finding sanctuary amongst themselves from a world that wanted them dead. While the Faunus retaliated with the White Fang and their goals of grander turned perverse, the Hylians became territorial with the tribes of the northern forests as they tried to create a home from a world that would not have them. They're trials of existence, while tragic, were not the same. He did not have to hide who he was.

How could he possibly understand why she hid herself from prying eyes when all he knew was baring his true self to the wilds of the world?

Blake had told her team over the weekend, taking temporary solace in the words of the Mountain Troll from that cursed old play. The reactions she got from her tale hurt her soul. Ren and Nora questioned her on why she would hide for so long. Why would she only tell them now? Weiss's reaction was the one that hurt the most. Her icy stare bore right into her very being, remaining terribly silent as the leader kept lecturing on about how she shouldn't have felt the need to hide. At the end of it all, the heiress stood up, turned her nose and walked away, not saying a single word. Since then they haven't spoken a word to each other, the tension only thickening as the days went on.

Why did she even tell in the first place? Why did she even expect a different reaction? All she did was cause herself pain, all her team did was prove that the divide was simply too great. All she wanted to do was run away from it all, finding the act simple in design.

Her ears twitched as she heard the cadence of heels crashing down on the stairs and pavement, well practiced steps with the sense of poised purpose that she knew all too well. Great, what did she want now?

"Figured I would find you here," Weiss spoke out, her tone as cold as ever.

"What do you want?" Blake's voice was strained, evidence of her silent sobs from earlier. Couldn't the Schnee girl just leave her alone? It appeared like she could do that just fine, if the last few days were any indication.

"I came here to talk."

Really, that's all she wanted to do? "Talk? Seemed like you perfectly happy with ignoring me for the past few days. I guess I shouldn't have expected more from a Schnee."

A scoff left the heiress's lungs as he stare narrowed. "You really think me so callous to disregard you because you're a Faunus?" Weiss's cold tone took an edge to it that cut deep into Blake. "Do you know why I care so much about actions? Why It's all I care about when it comes to being? It's because I refuse to be my father. It's because I have seen the actions my father have taken and the impact they have on the world. He surrounds himself with snake as the rest suffer at his hands. He created monsters of people that wanted to simply exist. He took their actions of retaliation against his wife, his colleagues, his children, making them suffer. The monsters he had created have nothing but harm, becoming more and more like him, a cycle that I aim to end. I care about actions and how they speak of their person because I refuse to continue on with the cycle of hate that my father had created."

Weiss paused for just a moment as Blake turned to her. Puffy cheeks and blood shot eyes told the white haired girl all she needed to know. "The actions you gave me, lying to me, your partner, told me that I could not trust you. I don't care if you are a Faunus or not, actions are what I care most about. You lying got me pondering on what else you are hiding from me. I remained silent as I tried to piece together why you would do this, why you would hide from your team. I couldn't believe that it was simply because of your heritage."

The cat Faunus felt her heart drop into her stomach as Weiss went on. What was the heiress going on about?

"You're name carries weight, weight of a family who started with noble goals turned horrific. I am going to assume that you left the perversion of what your father started and came here. The details will just have to come later." Another pause, another thud against Blake's chest as her heart worked in anxiety driven overdrive. Weiss's trust was shallow at the revelation that she looked into the Faunus's true heritage. "While I may not fully trust you at the moment, the question remains, what are your actions going to tell of you from her on out?"

_**01234567890**_

"I still think we should go and talk to them," Ruby spoke as JYPR lounged about in their room. While Jaune had put his foot down on getting involved with RWBN today, she still couldn't get her mind off it. They were hurting, withdrawn from the world and she wanted answers and to do what she could to get them back on their feet.

"Like I said, getting involved now might only do more harm then good," Jaune replied, his ancient equipment sprawled before him in a state of disarray, his armor and makeshift Sheikah slate taken apart as fingers glossed over his journal for a new creation. He understood why Ruby wanted to talk, he really did. He hated seeing them like that, the way they just simply existed to take up space. He only hoped that he was right and that they weren't completely broken beyond repair.

A loud thud resounded through the room as the door swung wildly on its hinges, Nora standing with a bright smile on her face, foot raised in the air. JYPR just stared at her wide eyed at the disregard for any common courtesy such as knocking. So much for waiting to talk to them in the morning.

"Did you just kick in the door?"

"New tradition! Sing-a-long night! Jaune, get your guitar!" Her voice was electric as she stormed into their room, dragging the team to their feet.

"I don't know any songs to sing to." That wasn't entirely true, he did know a few songs to sing to, he just didn't like singing. Music is better than words, or something like that.

If the Valkryie cared, she didn't show it as she drug JYPR out of their room and across the hall. All aboard the Nora train, no stops, no excuse, no exceptions!

The new weekly tradition of sing-a-long night had stared out with a shock as they discovered the source of the tension RWBN was experiencing. Blake sat on her bed, nervous finger twitched against their selves, cat ears fidgeted atop her head. She had decided to share her secret with her team and they had troubles in dealing with the weight of what she had shared and why she hid it for so long. They felt betrayed at the fact that she didn't seem to trust them enough, putting a massive strain on their cohesion. Weiss was the one that took it the hardest, finding it hard to trust the Faunus completely.

As nature had dictated, they had been able to hash things out for the most part, wiping the slate clean in some form or another with the heiress putting the ball in the Faunus's court.

The first action that Blake had decided to take was to stop hiding, at least from her friend group. Nora had taken that as her cue to go and grab JYPR for a new tradition and break Blake out of her shell, so to speak, and to show her that people accepted her for her.

The tension was still there, the mistrust that Weiss had felt and showcased for what Blake had hid from them was still hanging in the air but it was waning, the scars healing over. All they needed was time to get over it, to mend what had been shattered. The night of singing had helped as a first step, both teams laughing as Jaune sung horribly off key to the songs that Nora and Yang had picked out. He made a vow that night to only play Satriani or Clapton from that point on. Weiss had displayed her practiced vocal cords as he pitch carried with the strings and Ruby showed that she can carry a tune as well.

Everything was going well until Yang got a glint in her eyes, looking at Jaune and Ruby as they finished singing their song; something about shoes and hats. Their bodies were close, their shoulders pressing into the other as they swayed to his strumming, his horrible singing voice and her mirthful tone. "So, you gonna tell us more about your 'date'?"

The Hylian almost sputtered, his guitar letting out pained screeches as his fingers slipped over frets and strings, his face becoming red. Ruby matched his expression as her hands reached for the edges of her hood, pulling it over her head to hide from her sister. "It's not a date!" they chorused.

"What date?" Nora asked.

"It isn't a date!" Jaune reiterated, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "She's just looking into things a little too hard."

"It's nothing special, apparently Hylians like to throw a little festival every year and Wolf Boy over here asked my little sister if she would like to go."

"What kind of festival? Does it have rides? Games?! Can we tag along?"

"Wouldn't be much of a date if we went," Ren spoke. "I'm sure that we can find something to do when they leave."

"But a festival sounds like so much fun!"

Jaune was thankful for the barrage of questions that spilled from Nora, the last one being his last hope of being able to try to save face. "Yeah, you all can come." The more the merrier, that way Yang could stop calling it a date. He glanced at Ruby as she continued to hide in her hood from her sister. He could only hope that the Hylians would except so many outsiders.

_**01234567890**_

The large, dark skinned man had escorted the two to a door at the end of the bar. As giant hands grabbed the knob and pushed the barrier open, Francois was greeted with a camera flash, blinding his eyes. "What the hell!" the Hylian roared as he blinked, trying to regain his vision.

"Hey Walt," Qrow greeted as he walked further into the room. As the Alpha regained his vision he took the whole room in, a cluttered office with several instant developed photographs pinned to the wall. A man of average height with dark blond hair shook a photo in the dim yellow light overhead, humming to himself as he took a look at it. "How's it been?"

"Who's he?" The new man, Walt, questioned as he inspected his new picture. "He one of them?" Who's them?

"He's a friend, Walt. Francois, meet Walt, Walt this is Francois." Qrow gestured between the two men. "We came here to ask for a favor."

"Oh? Another one of your crazy adventures? Not interested."

"You might be interested in this one, Walt."

"What's in it for me? Last time I got involved in one of your stunts I got followed over half of Remnant by invisible Grimm." Francois stared at the man incredulously. There was no such thing as an invisible Grimm. Just what was this man worried about?

"I got some rare stones that you might like," Francois spoke before digging into his pocket, withdrawing several cut stones. Reds, blues, and golds glistened under yellow light. With shocking speed, Walt grabbed the gems, inspecting every single one with a pensive stare.

"They don't seem to be bugged." Bugged? How paranoid was this man? The cut stones found a new home in the dresser with sloppy bits of paper. "Alright, what's this favor you need?"

_**01234567890**_

The Queen stood before the dragon with yellow eyes, smoke as black as ink swirled about the cave. "So you stand before me, child, asking for my power, demanding a bargain. What is the nature of what you desire?" The dragons voice boomed and echoed against the cave walls, dust and stones falling from the ceiling and crashing to the ground.

"I want to see the world burn," she replied, her eyes of crimson hate staring back into yellow eyes of pain and sorrow.

The dragon huffed, hot air filling the cavern. "Lofty goals, child. I have seen many times how unrefined hatred and spite crumble."

"I am no child," she retorted in spite, her narrow face contorted in a sneer. Blinding heat flushed over her ashen pale skin, causing her to wince in pain as the dragon of smoke swirled about her in anger. The air in her lungs left as she gasped.

"I have lived countless lifetimes, child!" His voice was a bellow of rage at her tone. "I have seen many realities, countless forms both victorious and failures. Time is not a linear thing but a lattice work and I have seen all events. I am eternal child, you shall do well to remember that."

The air became cooler as his anger died down, yellow eyes gleaming back at her. Her stare was still defiant at the dragon, still retaining her demand. "I must applaud you child, you have traveled far to seek me and yet you don't bend the knee. I care not what your endeavors are or why you allow my children to flourish but I will help you in this matter."

"What is it you desire for compensation?"

A laugh resounded through the cave. "Very perceptive, child." A stone of amber set into a silver crown floated before her. "Take this and place it onto a being that can handle my essence. My body is being recovered but I need time for it to be prepared. This will allow me a tongue to speak, legs to walk, and arms to grab."

As she turned to walk towards the mouth, accepting the terms. "Remember child, I bend the knee to no one as well. Cross me, and I will make you wish for death." Foolish dragon, she had wished for that a long time ago.

**A/N-Sorry that this chapter is a little shorter than the others but for some reason it was a lot harder to write out. I haven't the slightest clue of why but it was. At the moment, not everything is groovy between Weiss and Blake but it is getting a lot better now that the air is cleaned out. I am a bit mixed with the way it turned out to be honest.**

**Just an odd thought but for some reason I listened to a lot of Sixx:A.M for this chapter, kinda reminded me of when I was in Sasabo. There were a lot of Nikki Sixx look a likes there. Great people but they really did look like they can be stand ins for early Motley Crüe.**

**Anyways, what more do you want to see? Let me know in the comments.**

**Update Twenty second of November, Two thousand nineteen- I cleaned up a lot of this chapter, made it a lot easier to read and added a few things that I kind of forgot to add. I hope that it goes appreciated. **


	9. Knife Edge

**To Run With Golden Wolves**

By The Good Life Creator 678

**Chapter Eight-Knife Edge**

A click and a hiss, Francois lit the cigarette, acrid smoke billowing from his lungs as he inhaled and exhaled. His eyes never left the sight before him, a large depression at the base of the mountain, creatures with red skin digging into the soil with hardened claws. Large monsters with singular eyes pulled stones, revealing the treasures underneath. Machinations of black and gold, segmented arms dolls with dead eyes tangled in the rubble. None of the creatures paid these creations any mind as they continued to dig.

A cry from a small orc resonated through the air as it continued to dig, lanky beasts with elongated snouts and a single horn rushed towards them. Under the claws was a hand, cracked skin wrapped tightly around bones, fingers pointing out towards the sky as it reached out from the earth.

Francois's features darkened at the sight as he turned his attention to Qrow. "Tell Ozpin that the King has been found." Another drag, another exhale, another taste of trail of smoke. There was no stopping of his return. "We got a lot of prep work to do." He sharply inhaled as he raked his mind with what to do. "I need you text a number for me."

_**01234567890**_

Growls and howls filtered through the air of the burning city. Wolves of golden light snapped their jaws at wolves of black shadows as they returned the same. Paws and nails raked at ethereal flesh, teeth dug into muzzles as the packs struggled for dominance over the other. In the blips and flashes of golden light and dancing flames, she saw the two. A knight of gold and black clanged his blade of white silver against the red blade of the knight in white and gold. Eyes of glowing blue locked with sorrowful yellow as they moved about.

Their muscles flexed under plates of armor, they growled as the wolves disappeared in flashes of light and tendrils of shadows, their blades sung as they clamored and collided. The knight in white parried the blade of white silver before crashing a heel into the thigh of the knight in black and gold. Her heart skipped a beat, fear welled in her core as the blue eyed knight trembled in pain. The knight's arms went limp as the sword of white silver clung loosely in his grasp.

The knight in white gave a sad look as his body shimmered, as if his skin was too small for his body, red black ink seeping from his pours. A mouth moved without sound as a hand turned into a claw. With a swift movement and a cry of pain, the claw broke through black and gold armor, gripping at the heart. Eyes went lifeless as streams of blue stripped the flesh of the knight in black and gold of his armor.

Eyes of sorrow and pain turned to her, tendrils of shadows formed wolves of black as night. "It began with gods that care not of our souls and it will end with us. I will end our suffering, child." The wolves bared their fangs, their eyes glowed the same as the knight in white as he moved towards her. Her limbs shook in terror as he stepped, the shadows mimicking his. Her voice trembled as he spoke again, caught in her throat. "I will end it all, child of Hylia."

In flash of white silver, it was all over.

"Hey, Rubes, it's time to wake up!" Yang yelled out, stirring Ruby with a start. The littlest Reaper bolted up with a start, her heart racing at record speeds, eyes wide with shock at the sound of her sister's booming voice. Her mind raced with the visions of her nightmare, the city on fire, the war of wolves of black and gold, the fight between the knights, the death of the blue eyed swordsman in black and gold, the final words that were spoken to her.

"I will end it all, child of Hylia."

Who was Hylia? She didn't know a single soul by that name. Did he mean her mom? What did he want to end? And why did she fear for the knight in black and gold? Maybe it was because the knight died in such cruel fashion, a claw gripped at his heart. Maybe it was because of all the stories she had been told growing up had twisted till it resembled a tragedy. Or maybe it was because the knight in black and gold looked so much like…

"Jaune, you almost ready in there?!" Yang yelled towards the bathroom. Why was she so eager? She was never a morning person. What was so different about today?

The bathroom door creaked open, steam spilled out into the room as Jaune stepped out, grumbling in discomfort at his new garb of a forest green tunic and a black hood, both with simplistic designs sewn into the material. The fabric looked heavy, as if it was woven from wool. Yang almost doubled over laughing at the sight of his displeasure. "Looks like you're ready for the Emerald City, Wolf Boy!" A single tear of jovial laughter trailed down the blonde's cheek as she tried to regain her composure. "You look like you're trying to twin with Ruby! Oh my gods, this is gold! I need pictures of you two together!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Laugh it up! Drink it all in, 'cause I'm never wearing this again!" He silently cursed his family for talking him into wearing the tunic. It's tradition, his sisters told him. You only have to wear it for one day, his mother said to him. He stopped at tradition and the one day remark when it came to the stocking cap that they wanted him to wear as well.

His attention turned to Ruby, a dim glaze in her silver eyes as she stared at him. "Hey, Rubes, you okay? You seem kind of spaced out."

Her body stiffened, her eyes widened as Jaune spoke. He was alive, well, breathing, yet she could not get the image out of her mind. She couldn't forget the way the knight looked like him, how the arms went limp, how much the glowing silver white blade looked like Fi. She shook her head, now was not the time for reliving a horrid nightmare. "Y-yeah! I'm fine, just kinda woke up is all!" A nervous chuckle escaped her lips as Jaune's eyebrow raised in a quizzical look. That laugh was fooling no one. "Seriously, I'm fine! Don't worry about me!"

Jaune shrugged at the remark, not believing a word of it. He made a mental note to corner her later about it, like how she always cornered him when he was feeling out of it. Right now, they needed to get ready, they were almost running late. "Alright, have it your way, just get ready. We gotta get to the Bullhead in about a half hour and Pyrrha's already anxious. You know how she is."

Oh. Oh! Today was the day of the Moon Festival! Jaune had asked her to go about a month ago. Yang had been excited about the thing too, saying how cool it would be to see a different culture, even if it wasn't too far outside the city of Vale. They even found out more about the festival as well. It used to be called the Carnival of Time back when the moon was whole, celebrating the changes of the seasons and the harvest they collected as it progressed with time. As the years became centuries, the Hylians started to mix in the rest of their tales, changing the name to the Moon Festival as a result.

The further they dug into Hylian culture, the more the team realized an oddity about it; the Hylian people had a very peculiar way of viewing time not as a linear progression but as a piece of lattice work. As Jaune had told them more stories about the Hylians and what they believed in, the more it became evident that his tales ran parallel with one another, interlocking and overlapping in a strange fashion.

Ruby's favorite by far was the one that gifted Jaune with his wolf transformation, though she might have been a bit bias on that one as she just enjoyed the wolf back rides she managed to sucker him into with stacked bets. Silly Jaune, when would he ever learn that he was not faster than her.

She took another peak at him as he strapped the odd leather breastplate and bracers, frowning a bit. While she liked the hood, though she might just be partial to it, she didn't like the tunic he dawned for the day. She liked his stone black and gold armor and Arc hoody better.

Visions of his eyes going listless with a red blade protruding from his stomach filled her mind. Lips thinned as she vaulted down from her bunk, taking a better look at Jaune. Nope, nope, none of that was happening. Her friend, her partner, the fearless team leader of JYPR, and knight in black and gold was not going to die like that. Not when she was going to keep an eye on the blond.

With a slight bounce in her step, she grabbed her clothes and made her way to the bathroom to get dressed for the day. Resolve sparkled in her eyes as the door clicked closed. She was going to make sure that he was alive and well, even if she was going to have to conjoin herself at his hip.

"So, why do you have to represent your family?" Pyrrha inquired, going over her bag and equipment for the hundredth time.

"My dad's away with some carrion man on a hush, hush mission and I got stuck representing as acting Alpha for my name." Yang almost burst out laughing at that. If only he knew that the carrion man was her uncle Qrow and slowly feeding her dirt on the Arc boy. "That and a few other reasons. I still can't believe that I managed to convince the staff to let us take Friday off for this." Jaune was going to go regardless, the faculty would just have to deal with it. When he asked for his team to join him, the headmaster gave the go ahead for it, stating that it was important for them to understand Hylian culture. The blond was sure that there was a different motive but he honestly couldn't figure out what so he shoved it for later thoughts. RWBN was not so lucky, being told that if they wanted to attend, then they would have to wait till after classes were done. The young hero could only hope that they would be able to find their way to the grounds.

"Why is it outside of Vale?" The champion asked.

"Because it's the middle ground of Remnant, makes it easier for people to travel to." That made sense, the kingdom of Vale did happen to be in the center, the easiest point for people to travel to.

_**01234567890**_

Yang let out a low whistle at the sight before her. This was definitely not the same as what she pictured. She thought it would be something similar to the Vytal Festival, just a bit low grade. Hylians walked around in metal plates and maille, swords and shields strapped to their backs as they walked around the perimeter of the palisade in a jovial manner. Vendors lined the sides of the walkways dug in by wagon wheels, the children running around with bare feet, barely a care in the world as they frolicked about with strange masks. Men and woman fought in rings, dancing upon wooden spires as they swung polearms at each other. Strings and pipes resounded through the air in a way that reminded her of the forest that they were in.

Pyrrha shared Yang's sentiments as she looked at the structure. It was a quick set up and well fortified, guards walking about armed to the teeth, keeping a pensive stare at the forest yet they kept a happy appearance. It was for the better, Grimm were always attracted to negative emotion, it would be for the best if everyone here was just happy and care free.

Ruby was ecstatic at the sight as they walked towards the makeshift gate, looking at all the sights within. So many attractions, so many people, so many shiny swords and spears! While they were simplistic, they were classics, no one had an eye for them. The way that some of the girls and boys walked and danced around to the rhythm of the music in bare feet made it clear that this was definitely not any fancy pants dancing.

Stars sparkled in silver as she saw the arrows fly down lanes and into targets. Lithe hands gripped larger ones as she drug Jaune through the gate and towards the range, excitement buzzed and poured from her frame.

"She has him wrapped around her littlest finger, doesn't she?" a feminine voice spoke out from behind the duo. The two stiffened as they turned to see a blonde haired woman in simple garbs, a silver blade sheathed on flared hips, two pointed ears peaked out from her golden locks. She was a short woman with warmth radiating from her form. "Oh, sorry, where are my manners, I'm Aurelia Arc, Jaune's mother, you must be part of his team."

Pyrrha and Yang sighed in relief at the woman. "I'm Pyrrha Nikos and this is Yang Xiao Long. Thank you for allowing us to attend. Are you sure that this isn't an inconvenience? From what Jaune had told us, this is an important affair."

Aurelia laughed at the remark, mirth evident in her tone. "Oh, it's no trouble. The reason we hold this festival is to keep our stories alive from generation to generation. We are survivors, even in a world that wants us to cease. Now come on, be happy. Leave all those pesky worries at the ether where they belong. We are all Hylians tonight." Her arm looped through the teens' as she drug the two through the gates. "I'm sure you two would love to hear all the stories that I have about Jaune and his seven sisters and you can tell me more about the little red one who drug my son off before saying hi to his own fucking mother."

Yang smiled at the remark the woman made, she was liking this woman already. "So, you're where he gets his mouth from."

Aurelia snorted at the statement. "Oh, please, the pup is tame compared to the rest of us."

_**01234567890**_

Ruby inhaled deeply as she tightened her grip on the bow, pulling back on the string. The tension was different than Ferosh, the draw being a bit more difficult than the design that Jaune had chosen. Back straight, feet shoulder length apart, breath in, hold it, let go on the exhale, don't wait for the figure eight to line up. All of it was easy enough, aiming was similar to a rifle, and she was getting it down pact the more she used a bow. Still, the wooden recurve bow was a far cry from the magnificence of Ferosh and her compound glory.

But no, Jaune wouldn't let her use it, stating that it was not fair to the other archers that were launching arrows down the range. Strong words coming from the man who likes to count cards during game night. That was funny to find out, Nora was yelling with her hammer, Yang almost tore his comics, Blake mumbled, and Ren made the suggestion that it was probably for the best to not play card games anymore. Weiss ruined it by suggesting Yahtzee, then dice games were banned because Ren was a cheater who knew the statistics of the roll.

"You gonna let the arrow go, or are you just gonna keep it?" Jaune asked, a small smirk on his face.

Ruby blushed, the reality of the task at hand crashing down around her. Drat, she was caught. "I'm working my way up to it!" she squawked out. "I don't rush you when you try to aim a rifle!"

"Could have fooled me," the Hylian scoffed. "You yell at me the whole time. As soon as I level that barrel, bam, you start in, telling me that it's 'stress training.' Stress training my ass, you just want an excuse to yell at me."

Her fingers let go of the drawstring, the cord and wood snapped back into shape. The arrow flew through the air, the head thudding into the wooden target with ease, the shaft sticking out just out of the center. Jaune let out a low whistle as he glanced at the target. That was the closest to the bull's-eye that he had ever seen. Three more arrows sank in around the initial arrow, creating a nice group. Now she was just showing off how much she had improved when he first started teaching her.

As he turned back to the silver eyed huntress, she appeared right in front of him, her face scrunched up in mild frustration as she held up her infamous swear jar. "You owe the jar one lien."

A coin clanked against the glass walls of the jar as it clamored against bills and other coins. A few more clamored in a similar manner, earning an odd look from the Reaper. "Consider it an advance. Just wait till you meet the rest of my family."

That statement answered nothing. She shook her head as she grabbed his hand, dragging him from the range. There were so many sights to see! So many vendors selling weapons that she could drool over and he could talk about! Then her eyes looked over the children and adults as they donned masks, all of them surrounding a man as he handed them out.

"What's with the masks?"

Jaune rose an eyebrow at the question as he followed her gaze. Then it clicked, he had told them many stories about his family and his people but he left out a few major points. "Well, we Hylians are attached to our stories that we make masks and songs in their likeness, take that one for example," his fingers pointed out a round yellow mask with white painted hair and black eyes. "That one represents that hero atop the giant salamander in the volcano. He never wanted to be one, always shaking in his boots, but he stood his ground with his shield of crimson and tamed the salamander. That one right there," his fingers pointed towards another one, silver hair shaped over a face with red markings. "That one is about the deity that slain the being who wanted to crash the moon upon the world. I used to wear it all the time after hearing that story."

Ruby giggled at that. Of course he would want to be the hero who saves the world. "So what's the story about the green tunic?"

"It's an homage to the hero that came from the forest and danced with the fairies," Aurelia's voice called out from behind the two. She laughed as the two teen stiffened at her, Jaune slowly turning his head to look at her. "Though usually the hero is supposed to wear a matching stocking cap."

"You couldn't pay me enough to wear that thing…" Jaune muttered under his breath.

"Oh, please, I remember a time not too long ago when you couldn't wait to dress up as the Hero of Time, my little pup that runs with golden wolves." Aurelia's hand twirled in flippant manner. Her attention turned the giggling teen that stood beside her son. "And you must be the little sister of Yang. She told me so much about you and how you have my son on a damn leash."

Cheeks turned scarlet as embarrassment sparkled in their eyes. "I don't keep him on a leash!"

"I don't think that's what she meant, Rubes."

"Oh, not everything is so literal," the Arc matriarch confirmed. A smile that Jaune knew all too well formed on her face. If the silver eyed huntress in training took everything at face value then maybe she could aid a fellow blonde, if only for her own amusement. "So tell me Golden pup and little red, why didn't you two make your own masks?"

"We were supposed to make our own?!" Ruby exclaimed. Her attention shifted to her partner, glaring slightly. "How could you not tell me?" She liked making things, even if they were simple things like masks.

The smile that Aurelia held turned to a smirk. Hook, line, sinker. Now to answer before her son could. "Oh, how could you Jaune. It's only one of the most important traditions that we have. Has he told you why it's so important?"

"No!" He didn't have any intentions to go into those tales with his partner.

"How could you, little pup of mine." She was quick in grabbing the two in her arms as she started walking, dragging them along the trail made by wagons and venders. "They represent unity! You know, it's said that if a couple united on the day of the festival and dedicate a set of masks as a sign of their union, they would always be together, even if apart."

Flashes of the knight in black and gold crumpled on the ground, blood pooling around him as a claw wrenched at his heartstrings went through her mind. "We need to make those masks."

"Uh, Ruby, do you know what she means by that?" Jaune inquired, a slight blush forming on his cheeks. Did she really feel that way about him?

"Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head, young one," Aurelia continued on, not letting another thought float around the two. "I just so happen to have a couple of masks that suit you two just fine! I'll take the little red and you," her arm let Jaune out of her grasp, the boy taking a step back from his mother. "Go see your sisters, they miss you. And make sure that you make your presence known. Everyone here would like to see their hero."

Jaune The young Hylian male was quick to leave, shouting a quick apology to Ruby as he left. "Traitor!" she shouted after him, her shoulders slumping as the woman guided her to her fate.

"Oh, hush now, I'm not so bad, miss…"

"Ruby Rose." Her voice was shaking in anxiety. Her heart was thudding against her chest frantically as the woman guided her towards a large tent.

"Well, isn't that a fitting name?" Aurelia laughed out in mirth. "Oh, why aren't you shaking like a leaf. I'm not so bad." A glint of mischief shimmered in her bright green eyes, sending shivers down the young teens spine. "I know that look in your eyes when you look at my son."

"What look?" Ruby could feel herself shrink as Aurelia shoved her into the tent. It was spacious, beds neatly lined up in two rows, wooden crates at their feet. The woman merely smiled as she walked towards one of the footlocker.

"Bullshit, you know the look. I've had that look, too. Hell, I married that look." So, that's why Jaune paid a few lien in advance. "We Hylians have a phrase, the wolf that waits for its prey, feasts on nothing but air." Suspicion crossed Ruby's mind as she pondered what the Arc matriarch had spoken. Did Yang put her up to this or was this woman just so direct? A lock clicked open as Aurelia opened the trunk, hands grasping at two wooden masks. One was like stone, two horns jutting and curling from the top, an eye carved into the left. The other was that of a wolf, grey and green fur carved into the face. "Has he ever told you the importance of his form and semblance?"

Ruby nodded slowly, pensively eyeing the woman. What was her angle? "Something about a curse of twilight and how his semblance represents that he would never be alone?"

"Figures that he wouldn't share such a romantic tale to someone he likes." A blush returned to Ruby's face. Did Jaune really like her like that? "It's the story of the Imp and the Wolf. Long ago a hero came from a farming village to gift a princess a sword forged by their hands. When his village was attacked, he was cursed to become a wolf. Along came a princess of twilight, cursed by her brother to the form of an imp. The two became close as they sought to end the curse that tore the world around them asunder. His semblance represents the guardian that taught the wolf how to fight, how to breathe. I think that these two masks would be perfect for you."

Ginger fingers traced carved wood, admiring the craftsmanship. "I thought we were supposed to create our own."

"You should really stop taking things so literal, little red. I'm sure that the gods and goddesses above will be fine with letting this one slide." Aurelia winked as Ruby grabbed the masks from her. "Now go, enjoy yourself. I'm sure that Jaune would be more than happy to see you right now."

_**0123467890**_

The dragon swirled about, his energy mixing into the ether of the world. His eyes gleamed yellow as his ilk moved about. His body was found, but it would take time for it to be ready. For now, he could only hope that the witch would hold her end of the bargain. "It is time to test the mettle of the hero." His voice echoed to his children, pulsating through their mind.

_**01234567890**_

Cinder peered at the crown in her hand, fingers tracing the set stone. "So, who do you have in mind for this glory?" she questioned the witch, casting her gaze to meet with red.

The witch laughed as she looked at her follower, her hands shifting over a pool of black. "The fool Ozpin had found us a suitable candidate for such a role." An image of two men wondering down a dirt path swirled into life. "We will shatter the hope of the world by taking their beloved heroes from them and further divide the tribes of old. I trust that you can carry this out when the time is right. Now go, make preparations. The world will bare witness to it all soon enough.

**A/N-Again, a bit shorter than what I normally write out. For some odd reason this chapter was a lot harder to write out than I wanted it to be. I know that Aurelia isn't French but seeing as French is a Latin based language I thought that a Latin name could get by. It is a bit on the nose though.**

**I do want to thank Loreseeker for helping me come up with what is going on in this chapter and the next one. He was really a great help. I would also like to thank all of you that are reading this. Last chapter was really well received I am very happy about that.**

**Just a quick note on the stress test thing. It is a very real exercise when going through arms training, I have spent a lot of time teaching sailors for sentry position and stress test is part of small arms certification.**

**A quick question for anyone who pays attention to what my chapters are titled, why are they titled that way? I want to see who can get it. Other than that, any questions, thoughts, theories on what I am doing, suggestions, and critiques can be directed to the review box.**

**Dragon Lord Syed 101-I am glad that you liked the chapter though Yang was jumping the gun a bit on titles. It will happen shortly though, no worries.**

**xhope14x-Sorry about the chapter length, I usually aim for five thousand to six thousand words. I can aim a bit higher though.**

**Fyr Rednight-Glad you liked the chapter.**


	10. Tom Sawyer

**To Run With Golden Wolves**

By The Good Life Creator

**A/N-Just a quick note before the chapter starts, after the first three paragraphs, italics in parenthesis will be Hylian speech.**

**Chapter Nine-Tom Sawyer**

_The father stalked the son as the pack of golden wolves led him down the forest. Pride, sorrow, happiness, agony, conflict burned and swirled in his eyes as he watched paws dig into soil. 'You are destined for great things.' Words of that the father had told the son on many occasions._

_He continued as the son found the blade. He could no longer protect the son, he could no longer save the boy from the world._

_'Make the winds howl your name, son.'_

Francois cursed as he lit another cigarette, eyeing the second pack that he had went through in the span of a few hours. They had found the King, or rather what was left of him. His spawn had dug him from the depths of the earth, carried him off to somewhere he didn't want to find out. A curse escaped his lips as he took a sharp inhale, casting a glance at the crackling fire. What was the end game? Why was he waiting to make his own presence known? Why dig up his own rotting corpse?

"You're going to end up killing yourself if you keep smoking like a chimney," Qrow piped up as he poked at the fire.

"So says Cirrhosis, The Wonder Bird," The Arc Alpha grumbled as he took a long drag. Qrow feigned hurt, if only to humor the situation they were in. "We're runnin' out of time. Shit's about to get sideways real quick."

"I know." Francois didn't need to point that out, it hung heavy in the air with all the questions they had gained from the recovery of the King. "Was that thing they pulled out…"

"Yes and no." An eyebrow rose over a pale red eye. "That body represents the means of the King, his will, his drive, his reason. His essence, his primal, his end, it's somewhere out there. That body was what he once was."

"You think that he just wants to try and regress time?"

Sapphire eyes narrowed at the question. "If it were that simple, then you and I wouldn't be here tryin' to figure the son of a bitch out." Acrid smoke billowed from his lungs in a familiar burn. "I dunno what he has planned but it will make itself known, it always does." He glanced at the smoldering red tip of his smoking cigarette with a far off stare. "I never wanted him to become a huntsman. Not at Beacon at any rate."

"Why? From what Oz has been telling me, you taught him pretty well."

"I didn't teach him shit, the blade did," Francois growled out. "I didn't want him to find out that there are no such things as heroes, just survivors. I didn't want to watch the world turn him into a killer. I still don't. From the moment he was brought to the world, I knew he would be somethin', just not part of a legend told to make us feel better. Now, because of that fuckin' sword, Ozpin is goin' to use him like he did us."

The carrion man opened his mouth to speak in protest but the words never came out. He knew they were true, that the headmaster already had plans in motion, spending too much time to look at the bigger picture of the world. The wolf always was wary of the aged headmaster, starting back to their youth as STRQ and FRST. Years had gone by since those days and the aged Hound from Hell trust for Ozpin had only dwindled. If Francois didn't trust the man, then why would he allow his son to attend to Beacon? "If you don't trust Ozpin, then why did you agree to all of this?"

"Never had a choice in the matter." Francois left the statement hanging in the air as he flicked the remainder of the cigarette into the fire. Now was just about as good of a time as any to cut back on smoking. "The boy was always dead set on becoming a huntsman to help people around the world. Finding that cursed sword and his semblance only added to it. Fuckin' brat had forged papers and everything just to accomplish it." The look in his eyes was an odd mix of pride and sadness. His sons drive to obtain his dreams, even against his parents' wishes was certainly admirable. "Just do me a couple of favors, will ya? When this shit goes sideways, watch after my boy and keep an eye on the old man, will ya?"

"Only if you do me one as well." That was an expected response. Very few things came for free, at least the things that were worth it in the end.

"Shoot."

"When this is all over, you start teaching at Signal."

The smile came before the laughter as Francois doubled over in a fit, mirth glowing in his eyes. That was not the favor he was expecting. "You must really hate those students if you want me start teachin'."

_**01234567890**_

"No way!" Yang shouted in laughter as Noir, the youngest sister, regaled her on stories when the youngest Arc was just twelve. While Jaune had always said that he had seven sisters, he never went into details in age. Apparently he was the youngest child of eight. There were the triplets of Marin, Medli, and Sapphron, then there were the first twins, Midna and Rouge, and finally the last set were Crystal and Noir. Apparently multiples ran in the family, with Jaune being the odd one out in multiple ways. Though only Crystal and Noir could make it, with Saphron being held up in Argus and the others staying behind to watch the homestead. Yang had already been caught up to speed on all the glorious torture the older Arc sisters had put their brother through.

"Yup, with his tail between his legs! Momma was pissed when she found out he went to the hill!" Noir chirped, a haughty laugh escaping her lips as she leaned back in her chair, a large ornate stein spilling amber ale as she wriggled about.

"And he was twelve!" Crystal piped in. "Momma thought that he was going through it early! He wasn't the same for weeks."

Yang laughed as she clanked slapped the table. Meeting the family further cemented her plans with her two favorite dorks. "You should see some of the videos I got of him!"

"What kind of videos?!" the twins questioned, not bothering to hide the glee in their voice."

"She decided that she should 'document' how well him and her sister work together," Pyrrha elaborated, trying her best to keep it as vague as possible.

"Document?"

"Well I guess that isn't exactly the correct word for it. I think the best term would be blackmail."

Yang huffed as she glanced at her partner. "You say blackmail, I say setup."

A fist slammed down on the table in front of the blonde, causing her to look into angry blue eyes. "What the fuck did you tell my mom?" Jaune asked, narrowing his gaze. Yang, for her part, blinked, feigning innocence as much as possible.

"Nothing that she couldn't figure out for herself." The answer was as nonchalant as she could muster, dismissing him completely as she turned back to his sisters. "Has he always been like this?"

"Don't just turn away from me! She's got Ruby picking out masks!" His arms flailed about as he attempted to get Yang's attention.

"Oh! She's showing her the masks her and dad made?" Noir inquired, glee evident in her voice.

"How should I know! She just drug her into a tent and told me to find you!"

"That is so romantic!" Crystal squealed in excitement.

"And to think that today started out so great," Jaune muttered under his breath, dragging a chair out to take a seat. His gaze shifted towards his sister's as they laughed with Yang and Pyrrha. A smile passed over his lips as he leaned back, a content sigh escaping his lips. _"How's everything at home?"_

Slipping into Hylian tongue was natural for him, something he had always done when he was with kinsmen.

"You know, it's rude to do that," Crystal commented dryly, a smirk on her lips. "Besides, you call almost every day, you know what's going on." It was true, Jaune had made it a point to call as often as possible.

"Hey! You're getting off topic here!" Noir's arms waved about before slapping against the table, leaning forward to look at her younger brother. "Why didn't you tell us more about your team?"

"Yeah!" Yang chimed in. "Are you embarrassed about us?"

Cheeks flushed as he mumbled, turning towards Pyrrha in mild panic and desperation. "Any help?" A curt smile and a laugh was all he got as his sisters and Yang kept yelling about how he shouldn't be embarrassed. "Some friends I got…"

Noir and Crystal shared a look, a dubious smile curling on their lips as they turned their sights on Pyrrha. "Hey, didn't you tell us that there were others coming here?" Crystal asked, slipping to her feet as she slipped beside the champion.

"Yeah, we should meet them at the gate so they can get in easy!" Noir chimed in, taking her place on the other side of the redhead. Pyrrha never stood a chance as the youngest Arc twins grabbed her arms and all but dragged her away.

Jaune could only stare in disbelief at the sight, head tilted to the side in mild confusion. What was their game? "Well that just happened." Why didn't they drag Yang off as well? Maybe it was because the brawler was out going enough not to need the help. An arm slung tightly around his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts in an instant. All he saw was an impish glint in lilac eyes. "Uh, what do you nee-."

"Why are you waiting?" she asked, cutting him off completely.

Well, that was forward. He was used to people being blunt, his mother being a prime example. Okay, new tactic, feign ignorance for as long as possible and hope that she stops. "Waiting for what?"

Eyes narrowed slightly, never losing the glint at the corners. He knew what she was talking about, the blush rising on his cheeks were evident enough. Ruby so owed her one with this. "You know what I'm talking about."

A groan of defeat sounded from his lungs. There was no way of getting out of this, she was not going to let up on this. She left him no choice in the matter, her arm only tightened around him as he tried to leave. Alright, no option left, time to face the maker. "Fear." An eye brow rose in curiosity at the one word response, demanding a better explanation. "I don't deal with rejection, I'm afraid to ruin things with her if she says no, and if she did say yes and I screw things up, what happens next? We're on the same team, we'll be stuck for the next three and a half years."

Yang nodded in response at all of his answers, knowing full well how valid they were. There was the potential for it all to go up in smoke, causing a large riff in their team dynamics. Ruby also had the problem of going all in on every situation, becoming too fast to comprehend at times. There was no all or nothing when it came to what her little sister put effort in; it was simply all. But the two dorks interacted so seamlessly to be just friends. With renewed vigor, Yang pressed on, thinking of all the new material the two would give her. "Y'know, just because we're all on the same team, doesn't mean that it'll end in flames. Our parents were on the team and look at us. Hell, even your parents were on the same team and they're still going strong."

"You owe the jar one lien," Jaune quipped as he pulled himself free of Yang's arm. Still, while she raised a few good points, it didn't remedy the fears he had. The dreams he had about his team dying before his eyes still played on repeat on his mind, and while it was placate slightly after talking to Ruby, it still added the fear of losing everything he had gained.

_"There you are, Jaune,"_ an aged voice called out from behind them in Hylian. Yang shivered and straightened as she turned to see the woman that gained the drop on them. Pointed ears poked out of silver hair, eyes of coal looked at the two, her once impressive stature shortened and hunched with age. A smile cracked on her withered face as she waved a hand at the two in a passive greeting. "I wasn't aware that you brought company with you, dear boy."

A bright smile formed on his lips as he stood to his feet, wrapping the aged woman in his arms. "Hey Impa, long time no see." He gestured towards Yang, a bright smile still held on his face. "This is Yang Xiao Long, Yang this is is-"

"Impa of the Sheikah," the old woman spoke warmly, cutting the knight off. Her eyes pensively stared into lilac, fingers cupping her chin as the blonde looked on in confusion. "You seem like a fireworks show, bright and full of explosive energy. Excitement abound. May Hylia bless your adventures with friends and the want of more, young one."

"Hylia?"

Impa chuckled in mirth as she waved a hand dismissively. "Children, always asking unimportant questions." With a quick gesture, she turned to Jaune, taking in his features as she had done so many times before. "You seem more at ease, child. While confusion of your current standing still rages in your soul, a sense of purpose is shaping around your life, souls of the outside gifting you with salvation. You would do well to allow people to help you with the reigns of reality, the hero that goes alone often dies alone."

Yang stared in confusion as the woman spoke to Jaune. She was straightforward, even if she spoke in some form of riddles, and had the sense of warmth of a grandma with an edge of someone that had experienced the many trials of life. "So you're where he gets his phrases."

"No, that would be Francois," Impa replied, a bony set of fingers gesturing towards Jaune. "He is more like his father than he would like to admit."

Jaune grumbled at the remark, crossing his arms in childish defiance. He was nothing like his father. While Francois was stern and a cynic, Jaune liked to believe that he was easy going and full of life. Nothing like the Arc Alpha. "I am nothing like my old man…" Jaune mumbled under his breath.

"If you say so, Jaune."

The air shifted in the silence around them, a sense of foreboding tightening around throats as Impa's posture shifted, her eye losing the warm glow they once held. "It is almost time for the trial of strength and courage, we need to ask the goddesses above for the blessings, young child. We have much to discuss."

Jaune stiffened at the remark, his calm escaping his mind. Was the sun setting down already? He thought he had more time to enjoy himself before the trial. The blessings never took longer than fifteen minutes. He hadn't even seen RWBN yet, they were supposed to be here any minute. His mind wondered to the tone Impa carried and how it was not the pleasant one she used. Something was weighing heavily on the aged woman, something was demanding to be spoken yet wrinkled lips kept them held at bay.

"O-oh, okay, I guess it's time, huh?" He glanced at Yang as Impa guided him from the table. "Tell the others I'm sorry? I'll make sure to see them after this, okay?" A nervous smile crept on his face as he scratched at his neck.

Yang smiled as she mock saluted the hero. "You got it, Wolf Boy." Her heels dug into the soil as she spun, going to find her sister. If the trial was what she thought it was, then it would be all the push that she needed to give Ruby. Yup, Ruby definitely owed her one now. With a quick glance, she poke out once more. "Just so you know, some of the best things are the scariest ones." Satisfied at her words, the blonde brawler went out searching for the littlest Reaper. How hard could it be when most of the other people around here had pointed ears.

Jaune rolled his eyes at the statement, feet guiding him behind Impa as she lead them towards the center of the festival. Yang still never completely dropped their prior conversation. What if Ruby didn't like him like that and Yang was wrong? Would him asking making it weird and ruin everything? Too many variables to count for just the one answer he was searching for.

_"She's right you know,"_ Impa spoke out, her words bringing Jaune thoughts crashing down around him. _"Life has a tendency to move faster than we anticipate, waiting to long for it to happen will only bring you the question what if. You should never lead a life that way."_ Bony hands motioned towards a pit towards the center of the festival, coal eyes becoming harsh as she began walking. _"Now come along, child. The world moves even without notice, things that you should prepare yourself for along with your friends."_

_**01234567890**_

Laughter filled the campsite as the two huntsman passed the flask back and forth, burning liquid poured down their throats. It started out as a survival technique that Qrow had suggested. The negativity that Francois was bringing would only serve to attract unwanted attention by creatures that loathed life. Conversations about the King and the Witch would have to wait till they were in a better location.

Right now, it was time to reminisce on days that had slipped them by. "I still can't believe that you fell all the way down the falls," Francois spoke, a grin on his face. "I give ya an eight for style but a two for the landin'. Too much of a splash."

"At least I have range," Qrow shot back, tapping Harbinger as it rested beside him. "What do you bring to the table? A sword and a shield?"

"I also got skill with it and wolves. You got nothin' but the worst luck."

Okay, that one stung the carrion's pride if only slightly. "You seem to be holding up with it alright."

"That would be because there's more than one of me." Images of wolves of shadow dying out before they could strike was a constant when he was with Qrow.

"Is that how you got away with Raven trying to run a black wolf with her sword on initiation day?"

"Still ain't got a clue on her hatred towards me."

"She's my sister and I still don't have her pegged."

The air around them shifted, a scent wafted into Francois's nose. The smell quickly sobered him from his tipsy daze. Hands gripped weapons as the two stumbled to their feet, eyes scanning the edges of the thin forest. Shapes bounced from tree to tree, circling the two men, sharp cries echoing from the bark.

Something was different about their movements, about how they approached. There was something unique about this as animalistic blue eyes with yellow sclera mixed in with glowing reds of hatred.

"This isn't good."

_**01234567890**_

Weiss had no idea what she was expecting when she agreed to tag along to the Moon Festival. Whatever elegant fantasy that had came to mind to match such a title was quickly dashed away to the winds as children and parents danced around in bare feet, crude wooden masks adorning their faces as they laughed in jovial tones to music of pipes and strings. Vendors spoke to patrons, stories flowing from their lips as goods were exchanged. Simplistic garbs with angular designs were abound, wrapped around frames.

This was definitely beyond any expectations of grander.

"Boy, aren't you overdressed," Nora commented, her eyes fixed on the scene before them. Her smile widened as she saw a thin man wander about the paths, a large pack strapped on his back.

"I'm properly dressed for the occasion," Weiss retorted almost childishly. "It isn't my fault that the name is misleading." In hindsight, this is something that should have been expected. Though Nora did have a point, maybe the heels were a bit too much for this event.

Blake shook her head at the remark. Really, what did she expect? The Hylians were known for celebrating old traditions, it only would make sense for them to hold something for all of them at once.

"So, Jaune really can make friends," Noir giggled out as she and Crystal all but dragged Pyrrha to RWBN. Blake eyed them as they stood before them. Blonde hair, innocent faces, vibrant blue eyes, and pointed ears, they were definitely Jaune's relatives. "I thought he was kidding when he said that he had made friends outside of people forced to be with him. Good to see that I was wrong."

Crystal smiled at the four as she extended her hand towards them in a wave, an ecstatic spark shimmering in her gaze. "Nice to meet you! We're Jaune's sisters! Come on, what are you guys waiting for? It's a festival. We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves!"

Despite the uncomfortable Pyrrha gave off, their excitement was infectious a they pushed the team towards the center of the festival. There was one question that remained in their mind. "Where's Jaune?"

"Oh, he's probably off preparing for the fight."

_**01234567890**_

Francois grunted as a club slammed into his shield, the wood scrapping against metal as he forced the Bokoblin to the side. Crocea Mors plunged deep into rusty skin, green blood pooling and sullying the dirt floor. A howl escaped his lips as wolves black as ink jump from his shadow, teeth tearing into bony hides of Barbatusks. They amnesty the Grimm and the King's Creatures had were now over, the beasts working in conjunction with one another has all but confirmed their suspicions.

A shrill cry echoed as cloven feet pounded the soil, breaking him free of his thoughts. A growl escaped his lips as flesh became fur, lunging forth at the Bokoblin with fangs bared. The creature screamed as it fell off the Grimm he had chosen as a mount, the wolf clamped tightly on its neck. Cracks of thunder echoed about as Harbinger shifted from its multiple stages, Qrow swinging the weapon with ease through the Grimm and Bokoblins.

"We need to get outta here," Francois barked as he parried another strike, his eyes scanning the scene around them. "We're gettin' overrun."

Qrow cursed as he pulled close to Francois, trying to find an opening. The Alpha's words rang true, the creatures were beginning to pile upon them, slowly surrounding them. They needed to start a retreat, to get to an area where they could gain the upper hand. "Any bright ideas?"

Before Francois could speak child like laughter float through their ears from above. Several sets of wings fluttered noisily as the laughter got louder. The men glanced up, eyes widening in horror as humanoid shapes came down from the sky, their arms flapping like wings, large beaks aimed towards them, wands clutched tightly in their hands.

This was going to be a long night.

_**01234567890**_

Fire crackled and sparked in warm life around them, red ink pressed against his bare flesh as Impa drew the runes of past upon his skin. _"May Din grant you the strength to hold your blade high,"_ she spoke as she drew a triangle upon his sternum. _"May Naryu grant you the wisdom of who your advisory is."_ Cold ink stained his right. _"May Farore grant you the courage to hold yourself in the face of fear."_ The last graced his left. _"And may Hylia bless you with the known path."_ The eagle held the triangles upon his chest as Impa finished the symbol. He could feel himself grow weaker as the older woman placed her hand on his forehead, forcing him to stare into her eyes.

This was not a new feeling to him, the trials of strength and courage demanded nothing short of surviving in the greatest of odds. _"The King has returned, young one."_ Her tone was somber as she forwarded him the news. His eyes widened in shock as he tried to raise himself to his feet.

_"Are you sure?"_ he croaked out as Impa kept him kneeling before her. Her response was a simple nod as she continued with the blessing. _"What are we doing here? We have to-."_

_"You must remain the path you have chosen."_ Her words were stern, demanding nothing short of complete obedience. _"He is weak for the time being, only his vessel has been returned. It will be some time for him to take form."_

_"Then we should-."_

_"Should what, child? Mount an offense against a being that surpasses time? You would be dead before we could even find the dragon."_ Her words sunk deep into his soul.

_"I just, there is got to be something we can do!"_ Jaune felt useless at the moment. He had grown up on the legends of the King, every Hylian did. The evil he brought with him was something of folklore. _"We can't just sit around and do nothing."_

_"We are breathing the air, living, surviving, we are doing something, young child. I know patience hurts but you must be able to practice it. The King has yet to make his plans known so you must be able to return it in kind."_

Jaune's shoulders slumped as he bowed his head in defeat. Fear, incompetence, uselessness, emotions that he was all too familiar with ran laps through his mind. _"Why bother telling me any of this when I can't even do a damn thing."_

_"Because you need to know what is to come."_ She took a sharp inhale as the torches shifted and danced around them, her wrinkled hand never leaving his forehead. _"You and your friends are going to be put to the grind as soldiers and heroes."_

_"What am I going to do?"_

A sad smile graced him as her hand moved over his eyes. _"I cannot answer what you will do, that is your decision, young hero. What I can tell you is that you should enjoy your life in spite of recent revelations. If you focus too much on the future, you will lose sight on what is right in front of you."_

**_01234567890_**

"We are the wolves that run with the wild. We hunt through the forests and the fields that bless this land of ours. We howl with the winds that rush over the blades of grass. We breathe and thrive in spite of a world that wants us to cease. We remain constant for we are the wolves that force the winds to howl our names."

The sun set in a magnificent display of crimsons and violets as the crowd circled the pit, the torches casting moving shadows across the three that stood in its center. Jaune could feel the cool air brush against his skin as his fingers traced the hilt of the Master Sword, his eyes locked onto the man before him. Groose stood imposing, aggravated muscles twitching under tanned skin, light green eyes staring down at him, a smirk resting on his lips as his hands clutched at the ends of his axes.

"We offer the these two as our strength," the leader gestured towards Groose as she continued on. "And our courage." Her hand moved towards Jaune. "They are our pride, our joy but for us to continue, to survive, we must embody the goddess three. We must have strength to hold our blades true, courage to stand in the face of adversity, and wisdom to know how to strike."

"Now state your names so that winds may howl your accomplishments."

Groose's smug smile brightened as he gestured towards the crowd. "I am Groose Ganda, the Wings of the Sun, son of Bruce Ganda, Wings of the Night." The crowd roared as he spread his arms, his feet circling as he eyed the crowd.

"I am Jaune Arc of the Gold Wolves, son of Francois Arc of the Hounds from Hell." Another roar erupted as his sight never left the barrel chested man. He was smug, powerful, over confident. Strength with no guide, rage with no purpose.

With a gesture towards the two, Impa began walking back. "May you both be blessed by the goddess and embody the Goddess three." Steel flashed as the Master Sword and axes danced and sang.

**A/N And I am cutting it off at there. The conclusion to the Moon Festival will come soon as everyone comes to terms with what is happening. I am kinda on the fence with this, but it might just be that I had a hard time typing it out than anything else. Anyways, all the chapter titles, we'll most of them anyways, are titles to songs. I really like classic rock. There is an outlier aside from the Prologue.**

**Dragonfighter11-I'm glad that your liking the story and the pairing. From what I have to come to understand about Zelda, her powers are passed by blood where as the hero's spirit and Demises hatred is incarnated. Not to the same level of Ozma but still from vessel to vessel.**

**Fyr RedNight-Glad that you liked the chapter and I was worried about her. Not everyone takes kindly to Original Characters and I didn't want to make her the overly sweet and violent woman trope so I went with what we have now.**

**Dragon lord Syed 101-Glad you liked it. I honestly thought about the triforce and tried every way that I could to make it happen but I ultimately decided against it.**

**Anyways, I do have a question for anyone who reads this. If you are familiar with Generator Rex, please contact me. I am trying something new and have several notes written down and I would like some help hammering it out. Anyways, thoughts, predictions, critiques should be directed to the review button below.**


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